Steve Zouski, the former professional boxer from Wisconsin Rapids who once fought Mike Tyson, sat at a bar in Florida on Thursday while recovering from recent hurricane damage.

“My house flooded,” the 70-year-old man, who lives in Nekoosa, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’m still working my ass off.”

Nearly 40 years ago, Zouski was battling other destructive forces of nature like Tyson and George Foreman. He fought Tyson in 1986 and Foreman in 1987.

Tyson is coming On Friday, the 58-year-old returned to the ring to fight 27-year-old Jake PaulA former Vine, YouTube and Disney star who has begun feuding in recent years. Paul had an entertaining start to his professional career, scoring notable knockouts, defeating former NBA players, MMA fighters, and even a few professional boxers. Last year, he lost by split decision in his biggest test against Tommy Fury, a fighter with long boxing experience and an elite boxing family history.

Now he’s trying to assuage some of the criticism by fighting a man who has previously struck fear into the hearts of warriors.

“Every time (Tyson) hits me it hurts,” Zouski said. He lost to Tyson by knockout in the third round on March 10, 1986.

“I mean, when he hit you, he was in pain, and it didn’t matter if it was a punch or an uppercut.

“When he knocked me down in the third round, I said… that hurt. I said I’m going to sit here until the referee calls eight, then I’m going to get up. That’s what I did. But when I stood up and turned around and looked at the referee, he was already calling 10.”

“I thought I would argue a little bit, but not too much because I thought they took $3,500 worth of money from me.”

Despite the health risks, Zouski said he still feels the urge to fight even at his advanced age, and Friday night’s show on Netflix is ​​a “good opportunity” for both fighters. He said that he had not seen Paul fight and therefore could not make a fair decision, but despite his age, Tyson’s punch landing perfectly could have ended the fight.

“I mean, (Tyson) is old and we lose a lot as we get older,” Zouski said. “But at the time, I would have to have my best night ever and her worst night ever. I didn’t have the skills or the strength that she had. I knew that.”

Zouski’s professional record was 33-18 and his amateur record was 27-5. After retiring from boxing, Zouski worked for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as an engineer for more than 20 years. He left Wisconsin in 2006 to be closer to family in New Port Richey, Florida.

“One of my sons is paralyzed and he and his wife moved here, I knew they might need help,” she said.

Damage from Hurricane Helene flooded her home and she is still trying to recover, but even so, Zouski remains firm in her belief that it’s all about putting your best foot forward.

“I don’t look at life as ups and downs,” he said. “When I fought I tried to make sure it was all a good fight or I tried to do the best I could in all of them and when I got beat I tried not to be too disappointed.

“But I’ll be honest, I should have won some of those fights.”

This article first appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Steve Zouski says Jake Paul should take a punch from Mike Tyson