Just days after Mike Tyson was reportedly locked in for an exhibition bout with Jake Paul, the boxing icon has officially shut down the idea and suggested he may even be stepping back into retirement once again.
Ever since his 2020 comeback fight against Roy Jones Jr., Iron Mike has been linked to the Paul brothers. While initial reports claimed the heavyweight legend would go toe to toe with Logan Paul, plans seemingly fell apart in late 2021.
Just weeks into the new year and younger brother Jake Paul has been into the mix instead. “Mike and Jake are on board for an exhibition bout in Las Vegas,” The Sun reported on January 17.
However, Tyson quickly brushed these claims off and now, he’s officially put an end to the rumors. Not only is Tyson “not interested” in fighting the social media celeb, he also seems to be done with boxing as a whole once again.
Mike Tyson has previously shown support for the Paul brothers and their boxing efforts.When Tyson returned to the ring in 2020, ultimately battling to a split draw with Roy Jones Jr., it marked his first fight in 15 years. Despite appearing like the start of a comeback, it’s now looking like a one-off event, Tyson explained on the Full Send Podcast.
“I don’t think I’d ever do stuff like that anymore,” he said. “I wanted to do it the first time just to have fun. Some people took it to another level, made it financial, and then the fun went out of it.”
Even with a $50 million ‘mega fight’ offer reportedly set against Jake Paul, Tyson stressed that he’s “not even interested” these days. “It was all word of mouth,” he said of the evidently unofficial deal.
Triller, the company behind Tyson’s return bout, allegedly still owes him money from his 2020 performance. While he wasn’t able to say much publicly, this relationship “turned bad” and could be the leading reason why he no longer wants to fight.
“I don’t want you to fight again,” UFC President Dana White said sitting on the couch next to him.
“I don’t think I will either,” Tyson responded.
Given this is the fighting game, it’s always worth taking these comments with a grain of salt. Tyson could be playing coy amidst contract negotiations behind closed doors.
We’ll have to wait and see how things play out, though there’s every chance we’ve already seen the boxing legend’s last fight.
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