Mike Tyson shares the real reason he’s taking on Jake Paul fight at 58 years old despite extreme backlash

Tyson, 58, is set to fight Paul in a matter of weeks, despite it being almost two decades since he competed in a boxing match.

The former heavyweight world champion was defeated by Kevin McBride back in 2005, shortly after which he announced he would be retiring from the sport.

But Tyson has recently picked up his boxing gloves once again after agreeing to fight 27-year-old Paul. The pair are set to come head to head on November 15, after the original fight date in July was postponed.

The boxers were initially meant to step into the ring on July 20 in a fight streamed on Netflix.

However, with Tyson suffering health issues, the match was rescheduled.

At the time, Netflix said in a statement: “Unfortunately Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will not face-off on July 20 as planned. Tyson’s recent ulcer flare up has limited his ability to train fully for the next few weeks.

“The fight will be rescheduled for a date later this year after Mike’s able to resume training with no limitations and both fighters can have equal time to prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime matchup!”

Tyson later took to Twitter to state he was feeling ‘100 percent’ again, adding: “Even though I don’t need to be to beat Jake Paul.”

He released a statement thanking fans for their support and explaining he’d been advised to ‘lighten’ his training ‘for a few weeks to rest and recover’, but said his body ‘is in better overall shape than it has been since the 1990s’ and he’d be ‘back to [his] full training schedule soon’.

The boxing legend added: “Jake Paul, this may have bought you some time, but in the end you will still be knocked out and out of boxing for good. I appreciate everyone’s patience and can’t wait to deliver an unforgettable performance later this year.”

The match set to take place later this month at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Tyson recently spoke about one of the reasons why he’s taking on Paul, despite the backlash he has received.

Last month, British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn called the fight ‘dangerous and disrespectful’.

“I’m in awe of him – he’s one of my favourite ever fighters, one of the greatest of all time – but he’s a 58-year-old man,” Hearn told BBC Sport.

“You only need to speak to him and look at him to know this guy should not be in a ring again.”

However, in a recent chat with talkSPORT, Tyson explained: “[I’m] 58. I’m going to fight in the biggest arena ever and it’s going to be sold out, and who else can do that?”

He also spoke about selling out such a huge arena, adding: “It makes me feel like I have to perform. They’re giving me all that inspiration and letting me know that ‘boy, you’ve got to perform tonight’. It’s time to perform.”