ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Friendship is at the center of everything a fight broke out It’s between 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and the much younger YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

Helped create friction excitement for a match It tests the formula for how to bring boxing, the first combat sport offered by the Netflix streaming platform rather than pay-per-view or traditional cable, to the masses.

“I guess they’re beloved fans of Mike Tyson,” Paul said, trying to explain the raucous booing that greeted him in recent months when they gathered to hype the event.

“And I’m the new kid on the block, a disruptive, foul-mouthed, polarizing figure,” Paul said. “And I built my career as a heel. “Naturally people want to challenge me and that’s a great thing for the sport of boxing.”

Tyson’s first sanctioned professional fight in almost 20 years Set for Friday night At the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. While a crowd of at least 60,000 is expected, Netflix is ​​offering the match at no additional cost to more than 280 million subscribers worldwide.

Paul, 27, is relatively new to the sport and was a onetime social media influencer who compiled a 10-1 record with seven knockouts, mostly against mixed martial artists and journeyman boxers.

“There’s no sense of commitment,” Tyson said when asked about the friendship earlier in the week. He proved that by slapping Paul when they confronted each other after the weigh-in on Thursday night.

Tyson seemed offended by the way Paul approached him for the faceoff, but didn’t bother to explain. “Talk’s over,” said Tyson, who debuted at 228 pounds, when one of the hosts tried to ask a question.

“This is personal now,” Paul shouted into the microphone before walking off the stage. Paul weighed 227 pounds.

Tyson was 50-6 with 44 knockouts when he retired in 2005, saying he had nothing left to give to the sport after losing to Kevin McBride. He last fought in an exhibition without fans in 2020 against Roy Jones Jr. during the pandemic.

The fight, originally scheduled for July 20, was postponed due to Tyson being treated for a stomach ulcer after falling ill during the flight.

In a documentary about his preparations for the fight, Tyson said he lost 26 kilos during his recovery.

Promoter Nakisa Bidarian, who co-founded Most Valuable Promotions with Paul, said Tyson was medically cleared weeks ago. Bidarian dodged the question of how concerned he was for Tyson’s health when he stepped into the ring.

“I’m nervous for both guys,” Bidarian said. “The truth is that Jake has never been hit in the jaw by someone like Mike Tyson. And Mike hasn’t fought someone like Jake in a very long time. That’s what makes this interesting.”

Paul said he had a vision for the fight about two years ago and shared it with Tyson because he thought the Hall of Famer would understand and be interested. That’s how long it took for the match to come together.

Tyson appeared uneasy in the weeks before the originally scheduled fight and at a press conference held two nights before the bout, both exciting events attended by Dallas-area fans.

He was more considerate of reporters in a smaller setting, showing that he wasn’t the foul-mouthed, scowling fighter he was in his old days.

“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs since my last fight with Kevin McBride,” said Tyson. “I was in rehab. I was in prison, locked up. “Never in a million years did I believe I would do this.”

According to reports, Paul will receive $40 million for the fight; he stated this figure at another press conference in New York in August.

Tyson, who was twice sentenced to prison for rape and assault in the 1990s and declared bankruptcy 21 years ago, will be given $20 million. Tyson said he wasn’t fighting for money.

“That old Mike Tyson has no purpose in my life anymore. “It just doesn’t exist,” said Tyson. “I’m having the time of my life. I don’t have much time left, so I’m having the time of my life.”

Some states did not sanction the match. Texas conceded a fight Eight rounds instead of 10 or 12two-minute rounds instead of three, and heavier gloves designed to reduce the force of punches.

Paul faced persistent questions about why he was fighting someone so old, regardless of Tyson’s lineage. Their answers were consistent.

“I say talk to Mike and tell Mike that,” Paul said. “He was the one who wanted this to be a professional fight and as a young person in this sport, I will not pass up the opportunity to fight the GOAT of boxing. Like Ja Morant turning down a 1-on-1 offer against LeBron. “This will not happen.”

There’s a high-profile title fight on the card; Co-main event between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.

Paul said he wanted to shine a light on women after their fight at sold-out Madison Square Garden in 2022. This was the first time women headlined a boxing event at the famous venue.

Taylor won a split decision Many people questioned this. Bidarian and Paul say the rematch for the undisputed super lightweight title would be the most lucrative women’s sporting event in history.

“A lot of people said Taylor-Serrano was the real main event,” Bidarian said. “If that’s how you feel, I’m fine. Jake said he was more excited for this fight than his own fight. But we wanted to make sure that most eyes saw this fight. To be honest with ourselves, Paul-Tyson draws a bigger audience.”

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