In recent years the Google and YouTube (who Google own) brands have both being in decline but Mike Tyson might be about to help them with that.
When he takes on YouTuber, entertainer and now professional boxer Jake Paul on November 15th, he will put not only boxing and professional sport on a map it has never been on before, but YouTubers and YouTube, consequently, too.
Netflix is by far the biggest streaming platform and company in the world (way bigger live streaming platform specifically than YouTube) and Tyson knows he has the stage set to viciously knock out Paul in a night that will see many non-boxing and even non-sports fans tune in.
Speaking to Talk Sport in the UK Tyson said:
“Mr. Tyson, it’s a pleasure to see you, sir.
Mike Tyson: Yeah, okay, my man. Let’s get down to it. November 15th, AT&T Stadium, right? I can see you’re smiling from ear to ear. You’re ready to rock and roll already.
Adam Catterall: True! You’ve achieved so many things in your professional life, and as fans, we always debate: “This was his best performance,” or “This was his best knockout.” But I want to hear it from you. What would you say was your best moment in the ring?
Mike Tyson: There were a few. Michael Spinks was a good one, and Pinklon Thomas was another. I hit him with like 18 unanswered blows before he went down. It was amazing that he could take all those punches. Hey, I’ve had quite a few great nights—quite a few.
Adam Catterall: You have had quite a few great nights. I’ve actually got one of them on my wall! You can’t see it from where I’m sitting, but it’s the Trevor Berbick 1986 fight when you became the youngest champion. That must be up there too, right?
Mike Tyson: Hey, listen, I’ll never forget that. I was only 20 years old. I couldn’t fully appreciate it in the moment, not at all. I didn’t understand it back then.
Adam Catterall: How about now, when you look back? Do you get those same feelings?
Mike Tyson: It was overwhelming. Pretty addicting, too. Probably why I’m here now. That leads us to the big question of why we’re back—nearly 40 years later!
Adam Catterall: Go for it, then. Why are we here now?
Mike Tyson: Because at 58, I’m going to fight in the biggest arena ever, and it’s going to be sold out. Who else can do that? When I think about it… think about all I’ve achieved… I’ve fought in stadiums like Hampden Park, on that side of the pond. Tokyo Dome had 40,000 people. I don’t know what ticket sales are like for Dallas, but we’ve already sold out Dodger Stadium’s capacity for this fight. It’s amazing to still be able to do that.
Adam Catterall: It’s crazy, right? That still drives you?
Mike Tyson: Absolutely. I have to perform. That gives me all the inspiration. “Mike, you better perform tonight.” It’s time to perform.
Adam Catterall: How has training changed from the young Mike Tyson to the man standing in front of me, ready to fight on November 15?
Mike Tyson: Not much has changed. I just get more massages now—rest, recuperation, and recovery. Sometimes I try to overdo it, then realize, “Hey, you need to chill out for a day or two.”
Adam Catterall: Are you still doing hard sparring?
Mike Tyson: Oh yeah. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I boxed eight rounds each day—three-minute rounds.
Adam Catterall: Are you bringing in specific sparring partners for this?
Mike Tyson: Yeah, guys from EML. J’s got some big, strong guys to push me around a bit. Some movers, and a couple of big guys to go head-to-head with.
Adam Catterall: What do you think of Jake Paul as a boxer?
Mike Tyson: He’s a good little fighter, but with only 10 fights, he’s still an amateur by our standards—a novice boxer.
Adam Catterall: Famous words: “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” What do you expect when you punch him in the mouth?
Mike Tyson: I expect him to run around. I’ll have to catch him and… well, you know.
Adam Catterall: Do you fear for him? You’re the former undisputed champion, Iron Mike Tyson. You know how to throw a punch and defend yourself. He’s a novice. Are you worried for him on November 15?
Mike Tyson: No. He stepped into the ring. If my mother stepped into the ring, she’d have a problem with me too. Anyone in the ring has a problem. Don’t go in if you don’t want that problem.
Adam Catterall: A victory against Jake—where would you rank it among your other great victories?
Mike Tyson: I don’t know if I would rank it. I’m just in there to perform. I’m not here to judge my performance.
Adam Catterall: This fight gets even bigger because it’s Netflix’s first boxing event. Talk to me about that. You’ve done big pay-per-views, but how many people are going to watch this? This could be huge.
Mike Tyson: Hey, listen, the sky’s the limit. That’s a big part of why I do this. I want to be the biggest fighter in the history of fighting. That drives me more than money—being the best, the biggest fighter ever. That’s what keeps me going.
Adam Catterall: This fight was rescheduled from July. How are you feeling? Any health issues sorted out?
Mike Tyson: All sorted out. I had an issue—I was eating bad food. Now I’m ready to rock and roll on November 15, thank God.
Adam Catterall: Now, about the current heavyweight scene, we have a rematch coming in December between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. What did you think of the first fight?
Mike Tyson: Usyk surprised everybody. I think Tyson Fury played around too much. He needs to take fighting seriously. Hopefully, we’ll see a different result.
Adam Catterall: Do you think Jake Paul is taking you seriously?
Mike Tyson: Jake believes his own lies sometimes. I guess you have to be a bit delusional to hype yourself up for a big fight. But he’s in a lot of trouble.
Adam Catterall: Influencer boxing has boomed in recent years. Do you think it’ll last beyond Jake Paul?
Mike Tyson: Yeah, it’ll last forever. Even after Jake’s time, it’ll still be around.
Adam Catterall: Mike, it’s great to speak with you. It’s wonderful to see you still fit, still loving the sport. Does that love ever go away?
Mike Tyson: I don’t think it does. Boxing gives you something that sometimes life can’t.
Adam Catterall: Will we see you fight again after this?
Mike Tyson: It’s a possibility. (Smiling) The twinkle’s still there, ready to rock and roll.
Adam Catterall: Mike, on behalf of all the British fight fans, thank you. You’ve inspired us for so long. Many of us got into boxing because of you. We wish you health, happiness, and all the best on November 15.”
Very interesting on Tyson’s thoughts regarding influencer boxing and celebrity boxing not going anywhere.
It won’t either, it is only growing, and in all fairness, it is growing the sport of boxing and even all of professional sport — to new audiences.
Tyson in some ways is still as wild, unchecked, raw and uncut as ever per the above (in some ways).
But he’s at peace at the same time.
The difference now is he’s enjoying his boxing more, a happy fighter is a productive fighter and he knows this — no need to rush anything.
He’s taking his time with this fight and you can tell he’s getting the rest and recovery he needs too. Clever Tyson.
Tyson is in a great place mentally and is clearly having a whale of a time at the moment but he’s training smarter now that he’s older and is more precise.
With that being said, at the end of the day, Tyson is a big underdog against Jake Paul on November 15th in a real professional heavyweight bout but he has made the impossible possible many times in boxing, and in life.
Tyson is certainly the good guy and the people’s champion.
Paul the bad guy and the villain in this one, clearly — an easy sell for Netflix.
Shrewd move by Netflix and Paul’s MVP Promotions this.
They are no fools those companies.
