Mike Tyson has disclosed that his wife has cautioned him against fighting Jake Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, in their much-anticipated match. The fight is expected to draw an audience of around 500 million people, potentially making it one of the most-viewed sporting events ever.
Despite Paul’s extravagant claims of potentially earning about £31m ($40m) from the fight, Tyson maintains that the money won’t significantly impact his life. The exact amount he could earn from this lucrative event remains uncertain.
Tyson, who was an undisputed world heavyweight champion for three years during his prime and is now 58, retired 19 years ago. His last professional victory was against Clifford Etienne in 2003.
Tyson confessed that his wife insists he doesn’t need to fight Paul. “This fight is not going to change my life financially,” Tyson told SPORTbible.
“If I did it for free, it’s not going to change my life. My wife is constantly telling me, ‘You do not need to do this fight’. This is what I want to do, this is me. I’m seeking my glory.”
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However, Paul disputes Tyson’s assertion. The 27-year-old maintains that the fight will result in his largest payday yet, with potential earnings of around £31m.
“There are definitely certain guaranteed figures and other certain built-in bonuses and stuff on top of sales – key performance indicators that trigger certain things,” Paul stated in a separate interview with the same publication. .
“This is definitely my biggest payday, of all the fights for sure. It is definitely a healthy payday.”
Initially set to face off on July 20, the bout was postponed after Tyson experienced a concerning ulcer complication during a flight, which led to him “coughing up blood”. Now back to full fitness, Tyson has made it clear that his goal is to inflict pain on Paul when they step into the ring at ATandT Stadium in Arlington.
“My intentions are to hurt Jake Paul. Those are my intentions. I’m very serious about this,” the boxer declared on his podcast. “This is what it’s all about for me – the glory of selling out a 90,000-seat stadium, with the world’s attention fixed on this one event. That’s what glory means to me. Right now, everyone’s talking about me.”
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