27-year-old YouTuber Jake Paul is confident he will defeat Mike Tyson and is willing to bet all the prize money from the heavyweight boxing match with the 58-year-old legend.
On November 13, Paul and Tyson attended their final press conference at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas. There, the fighters who competed in the side matches were asked to choose the winner of the main event, and the majority favored Tyson.
Paul was upset and stood up to challenge Katie Taylor – the female boxing star who predicted victory for Tyson.
Paul asked, “How much do you want to bet?”
Taylor hesitated for a moment and replied, “Do you want to bet the entire bonus?”.
The American YouTuber agreed and shook hands with Taylor – the world super lightweight champion since 2023 and will fight Amanda Serrano at the AT&T arena in Texas on November 15.
The three-decade age gap between Tyson and Paul is the largest in professional boxing history. Therefore, the match at the AT&T Arena in Texas on November 15 is considered the most controversial in boxing history.
Paul is said to have earned $40 million, twice as much as Tyson from this fight. “This is Paul’s biggest prize money in his boxing career. But losing to the 58-year-old legend would not only damage his career prospects in the ring, but also be a disaster for Paul’s bank account if the bet with Taylor is true,” commented British newspaper Sportmail.
At the press conference, Paul also wore a $100,000 gold earring as a jab at Tyson. “I’m not going to get my ear bitten off on Friday night,” the 27-year-old said, flashing the earring to the cameras. “So I’m wearing a diamond earring with spikes.”
Paul’s words were a reference to Tyson biting Evander Holyfield’s ear in the ring in 1997 in what is considered the biggest scandal in boxing history.
Tyson is a heavyweight boxing legend, still holding the record as the youngest heavyweight boxer in history to own a world championship belt with the WBC belt in late 1986, at the age of 20. During his professional career, he lost six and won 50 fights, including 44 knock-out victories.
Paul is a famous American YouTuber who entered boxing in 2020. He has fought 11 professional matches, winning 10 and losing one – the defeat to Tommy Fury – the younger brother of heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury – in February 2023.
Bookmakers have Paul ahead, with a 31-year age advantage, but Tyson remains confident. “I’m fine with everything. I’m not going to lose,” the 58-year-old replied, looking annoyed when a reporter asked about the prospect of losing.