Mike Tyson has admitted he misses his days as an active fighter – and he only realised it at a Jake Paul fight.
‘Iron Mike’ was working in Saudi Arabia as part of the promotional team for Paul’s clash with Tommy Fury this February, one of the biggest commercial fights of the year thus far.
Speaking on his podcast Hotboxin’, Tyson revealed it was at the weigh in for the crossover bout where he realised he still longed to be centre stage.
“I miss this stuff, I didn’t think I’d miss it until I was at the weigh-in in Saudi Arabia for [Paul-Fury].”
“You miss being the centre of attention.”
Although Paul vs Fury generated some solid numbers, those pale in comparison compared to the figures generated by some of Tyson’s fight in his heyday.
Tyson’s blockbuster with Lennox Lewis generated $112 million in total revenue, and his rematch with Evander Holyfield netted a cool $100 million.
There was actually talk of Tyson and Paul locking horns, however ‘The Problem Child’ made the wise decision of deciding not to step in the ring with the former undisputed heavyweight world title.
After almost twenty years out of action, Tyson laced up the gloves for an exhibition contest against multi weight world champion Roy Jones Jr in 2020, which controversially ended in a draw.
As for Jake Paul, he returns to competition against former UFC star Nate Diaz in August at the American Airlines Centre, his first outing since losing out to Fury in the Middle East.
The contest will take place at a catchweight of 185lbs, despite the fact Diaz never campaigned higher than 170lbs during his MMA career.