Attack before mega fight

Tyson slaps Paul: “Now he has to die!”

Wild scenes: Mike Tyson slaps Jake Paul before the duel in Texas.

(Bild: Getty Images/Christian Petersen, x.com/netflix)

Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson and influencer Jake Paul have further fueled the furor surrounding their boxing duel at the weigh-in: 58-year-old Tyson slapped his opponent on stage.

After Tyson had weighed in at 105.7 kilograms and Paul at 99.8 kilograms, the two approached each other to look each other in the eye, as is obligatory for a boxing match. Paul began in a crawling stance, then climbed onto Tyson's foot, who then punched the influencer with a flat hand. Tyson had to be restrained by his camp, Paul shouted in the direction of the audience: "Now it's personal, he has to die."

"It's great for boxing"
Paul takes the underdog role in the fight. When the two appeared together at events in the weeks and months leading up to the fight, the influencer was often booed. "These are fans of Mike Tyson who love him. And I'm the new guy, the disruptor, the loudmouth, the one who polarizes," said Paul. "I've built my career by being the villain. Of course, people are against me - that's great for boxing."

Paul has only been in the ring since 2020 and has had ten boxing matches since then. The 27-year-old has made a name for himself as an influencer, with 27 million fans following him on Instagram and 20.8 million on YouTube.

80,000 spectators and a mega fee
The boxing match will take place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys football team plays its home games, and up to 80,000 spectators are expected at the show fight. Streaming provider Netflix, which is broadcasting the fight, wants to use the event to test the potential of sports broadcasts. And the fee is also right: experts assume that Tyson will collect between 50 and 100 million euros as the big draw.