How much are the fighters earning?
The purses have not officially been disclosed. But… Paul claimed at a press conference in August that “I’m here to make $40 million (£31.1m) and knock out a legend”. And Tyson will earn approximately $20 million (£15.4m), according to his friend and former UFC champion Henry Cejudo who spoke back in March.
What are they saying?
By Oliver Brown, Chief Sports Writer
It is the word “nice” that truly sets Mike Tyson’s teeth on edge. He has heard it suggested that he is cultivating a nice-guy image in his dotage, that his industrial cannabis habit is turning him into a blissed-out grandfather, and he wishes to correct the record. “There’s nothing nice about me,” he says. “I’m not a nice person. I’m a decent person in that I try to do the right thing, but a nice person I am not. Anybody coming in under the impression that I’m nice is going to be disappointed.”
He almost spits the words, albeit in that incongruously high-pitched lisp. You wonder how much of this is pantomime, given his “baddest man on the planet” brand is being sweated for all it is worth ahead of his inter-generational bout with YouTuber Jake Paul. But the savage scowl on his face, warning against the wisdom of dissent, indicates the sentiment is genuine. “I don’t make people happy just for no reason. I’m just who I am. I’m not trying to gain friends, that’s basically what I’m saying. I don’t want to make friends with you, I don’t care if you don’t put me on your boat or your yacht, I don’t give a f—. I’m never going to be nice to anybody. I’ll be kind, but never nice.”
To read the full interview, click here
What are the best odds?
- Jake Paul to win 4/7
- Mike Tyson to win 23/10
- Draw 11/1
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