Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson kept it real during a recent press conference when asked whether he would have fought a 58-year-old if the roles were reversed in connection to his upcoming bout against 27-year-old Jake Paul. With over a month left in the cross-generational fight, things are getting serious. 

Recently, ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ featured in a press conference in Las Vegas, Nevada to announce he has partnered with LF*GO—a new energy supplement company. During this presser surrounded by a swarm of journalists, Tyson tackled a plethora of questions about his new collaboration and especially his November 15th fight against Paul.

In the crowd, a familiar voice from boxing journalist Elie Seckbach informed Tyson he had 80 million combined followers online, which left Tyson shocked as he celebrated the milestone, responding with a “Thank you.” Regardless, following this exchange, Seckbach probed Tyson about a flipped scenario, asking if he was 27 and fighting a 58-year-old—how would that fight go? 

In a dig to Jake Paul, Tyson said, “Well, I would never fight a 58-year-old man if I was 27.” This comes amid concerns among fans about Tyson’s ability to perform in the ring. Earlier this year, he even suffered an ulcer flare-up, which pushed the fight date to November. Many have used the incident to claim Tyson should not be entering the ring against Paul at his age. 

However, ‘Iron’ Mike has remained adamant, suggesting that he had recovered and would easily knock Paul’s head off. There have also been speculations, suggesting the only reason Tyson accepted this fight is because of the money he would make from the Netflix exclusive event later this year. 

Regardless, this hasn’t stopped Mike, or even Paul for that matter, from promoting their fight online. To top it off, the fight is being sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations, so there’s not much an individual could do to alter the course of the upcoming showdown. 

Meanwhile, ‘The Problem Child’ and Tyson seem to have entered a bet regarding their fight. 

Mike Tyson demands $20 million in a bet against Jake Paul

The YouTube boxing sensation is really good at throwing money, and in a recent clip on TikTok, the 27-year-old offered Tyson $5 million if he could survive the first four rounds with him. However, there’s a catch—if Tyson fails to survive the four rounds, he will have to get a tattoo that says, “I love Jake Paul.”

It appears that Tyson is well aware of this offer, but $5 million doesn’t seem enough to the 58-year-old given the stakes. In a conversation with USA TODAY Sports on Thursday, Tyson said, “He should offer more.” When asked how much money would convince him to accept the offer, Tyson continued, “Tell him probably about 20 [million].”

With the fight on the horizon, many have claimed that Tyson’s best chance of scoring a knockout would be in the early rounds of the fight. However, Tyson seems to have a much more well-thought-out plan. “Listen, I don’t expect him to come head-on and fight me, so I [will] have to catch him for a couple of rounds,” he said.

That said, Mike Tyson didn’t miss the opportunity to take a sly dig at his upcoming opponent, Jake Paul, during this press conference. However, it’s yet to be seen what the consequences of his decision to fight Paul would be. What do you think will happen on fight night?