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Legendary boxer Mike Tyson, once known as ‘the Baddest Man on the Planet,’ ushered in an entire era of heavyweight boxing, and now he’s battling a new generation.
Tonight, Nov. 15, Tyson will be boxing the Youtuber and influencer turned fighter Jake Paul during a special Netflix event.
It’s one of the hottest and most anticipated battles of the year because while Tyson might be one of the greatest heavyweights to ever step in the ring and fight an impressive fight against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, he’s still 58 years old.
On the other hand, Paul doesn’t have the experience of Tyson in the bright lights, but he’s still got a 10-1 record—seven of which were knockouts—and has fought respected names like Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva, and Tyron Woodley. Age is also on his side, at just 27 years old, so boxing fans are split in who they favor, making the event’s lead-up more contentious.
Tyson and Paul have done interviews to hype up the bout, and everything came to a head at the weigh-in on Thursday, Nov. 14.
Tyson clocked in at 233 pounds and was approached by a 220-pound Paul in a crawling stance. As Paul rose to his feet, Tyson unleashed an open-handed slap across his cheek. Paul barely had a chance to react but had a smirk on his face when the two were separated.
The announcer asked Tyson his thoughts as this may be his fight ever and how he felt.
“Talking’s over,” he said before walking off with his entourage despite being asked why he struck Paul.
Paul downplayed the slap, saying he didn’t even feel it, but vowed to return the aggression in the ring.
“He’s angry, he’s an angry little elf,” Paul said. “Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap, buddy, but tomorrow you’re gonna get knocked the f-ck out. I’m f-cking him up, I’m f-cking him up. He hits like a b-tch. It’s personal now. It’s personal now. He must die.”
The Tyson vs. Paul fight will air on Netflix tonight. The exact time has not been determined, but the full slate begins around 8 p.m.
Check out the entire card below.
- Heavyweight: Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul
- Super Lightweight: Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano for Taylor’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s super-lightweight titles
- Welterweight: Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos for Barrios’ WBC welterweight title
- Super Middleweight: Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes
- Super Middleweight: Shadasia Green vs Melinda Watpool for vacant women’s WBO super middleweight title
- Super Lightweight: Lucas Bahdi vs. Armando Casamonica
- Featherweight: Bruce Carrington vs Dana Coolwell
See how people are reacting to the slap and lead up to the fight below.