During a joint press conference for their upcoming boxing match on Thursday, May 18, Mike Tyson made a bizarre remark about Jake Paul after the YouTuber-turned-boxer suggested he wanted to kiss Tyson.
The two are set to fight off in a boxing match on July 20, which will be livestreamed worldwide on Netflix, and at the joint press conference in Texas for the fight, they traded some nasty insults. But things got weird after 27-year-old Paul, apparently in an attempt to belittle or intimidate his opponent, said he wanted to "kiss Mike's big juicy lips." In response, Tyson, 57, took it a little further.
"He wanted to kiss me?" he asked. "That's so ironic that he said that because I saw pictures of him dancing at 16, doing that little dance on YouTube, and for some reason I had an erection."
As reported by USA Today, they addressed speculation that the fight is rigged. "Well, clearly they don’t have a high IQ in here, but that’s a federal crime," said Paul.
At another point, Tyson suggested he was responsible for launching Paul's boxing career after he participated in Jake's second professional match on the undercard of Tyson's match against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.
"Just come to the fight and you’ll see," said Tyson. "Listen, I started Jake off and I’m going to finish him."
When the crowd cheered, Paul retorted, "I hope you all keep the same energy when I knock this old man the fuck out."
Paul added, "You started me off. I appreciate that. Mike, I love you, I love you. Like a father loves his son, but I must discipline you. You’re going down, old man."
Tyson replied, "OK, I love you, too."
Another moment circulating on social media showed a kid asking the two which one of them would be a better trainer. "Me, definitely me," said Tyson.
"Older fighters have more heart and balls, and weren't afraid, but I think the newer fighters have more skill and technique and are sharper," replied Paul. "So that's why I'd be a better coach."
The kid ran with the comment about "balls" and then asked a question he's clearly too young to be asking: "So you think he has bigger balls? Who do you think got a higher body count?"
The audience jeered, and Tyson interjected, "Where is this kid's mother?"
Last month, the fight was sanctioned as a professional boxing match. The bout will consist of eight two-minute rounds with 14 oz. mitts instead of the usual 10 oz. gloves. Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said they worked with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations to make sure the fight would be sanctioned.
