Hours before Mike Tyson and Jake Paul face off in the biggest fight of the year, things took an interesting turn. During the routine final weigh-in before the event, tension between the opponents rose to the highest level, resulting in unprecedented chaos.
On Thursday, Tyson and Paul got face-to-face during the pre-fight weigh-in. However, what should have been, at most, a heated verbal exchange turned physical. The former World Heavyweight Champion landed a heavy slap on his rival’s face. As seen in videos of the wild moment, which has since gone viral, the boxers are seen coming towards each other from opposite ends. Tyson, in black briefs, walked with his entourage while Paul, wearing white pants, crawled for a while before standing tall in his opponent’s face. Almost immediately, Tyson becomes feral, landing a heavy landing slap on the YouTuber-turned-boxer. Luckily, security intervened before things could get out of hand. The crowd of spectators surrounded Tyson and tried to hold him back as he angrily yelled.
The 27-year-old tried to play off the jab, making faces at the renowned boxer. However, in an interview, Paul lost it, going on a rant on how he would surely defeat the boxing legend.
“I didn’t even feel it. He’s angry. He’s an angry little elf. Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap, buddy, but tomorrow you’re getting knocked the f**k out. I’m f**king him up. He hits like a b***h. It’s personal now. He must die!”
Why Did Mike Tyson Slap Jake Paul In The Face?
The viral moment has since got fans chatting online, increasing anticipation for the match. Some speculate that the slap was scripted, while others think Paul triggered Tyson on purpose.
“Some people are saying that Mike Tyson slapping Jake Paul during the weigh-in is scripted. That the whole fight is scripted. But even if he loses, Tyson wins because name a sweeter gig than getting paid to slap Jake Paul?” a comment read.
“Some people didn’t see Mike Tyson’s body at the weigh-in. You don’t get into that shape for a scripted fight,” a second fan theorized.
A third fan claimed Paul’s crawl-up to Tyson imitated that of a monkey and had racial undertones. “White people always playing the victim after the consequences of their racist actions,” lamented the user.
According to Tyson’s best friend, who spoke to USA Today, the slap was far from scripted. Tomi Patti, a longtime friend of the athlete, revealed the reason behind the slap.
“Jake stepped on Mike’s foot, that prompted the reaction. I was there, and Mike just told me.”
Patti added, “My personal opinion (is) Jake shows enough disrespect…Mike put him in his place.” Tyson also spoke about it in an interview, saying, “I was in my socks, and he had on shoes. He stepped on my toe because he is a f***ing a***hole. I was in a lot of pain. I had to reciprocate.”
In the highly anticipated boxing event, fans will see Tyson do his first official fight since 2005. With things getting physical so early on, all eyes will be on Paul to see if he lives up to his threat.
