Mike Tyson says he is “just fine” and downplayed his health concerns but was taking extra precautions, asking those around him to wear face masks, before Friday’s controversial bout with Jake Paul.
The 58-year-old former heavyweight world champion has not competed in a professional bout since 2005, while YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, 27, has won 10 of his 11 pro fights.
The contest at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium which will be shown live on streaming giant Netflix has drawn criticism from the boxing community because of the age gap between the pair and after it was rescheduled when Tyson had a stomach ulcer in July.
Speaking to BBC Sport at Tuesday’s media workouts, Tyson said he had been put through his paces during training camp which was “not fun but it’s worth it”.
He added: “No one is taking it easy on me. They want to see if I quit or not and I’m still here. All the training is over now. The fight is the party, the training is preparation, but the fight is the party.”
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which has sanctioned it as a pro bout, told BBC Sport it “takes seriously the health and safety of all competitors” and all fighters on the card will be medically assessed on today.
Most Valuable Promotions’ Nakisa Bidarian said this is standard for boxing events in the region and the fight will “100%” take place.
However, it will be subject to certain conditions the contest will be eight, two-minute rounds and 14oz rather than 10oz gloves must be worn, lessening the impact of the punches.— BBC
