Mike Tyson believes he’s better today than he was 20 years ago.
A former undisputed heavyweight champion, Tyson retired from professional boxing at 38 years old after losing to Kevin McBride in 2005. After a long hiatus from the sport, Tyson returned for an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, and now will make his return to professional action this weekend when he faces Jake Paul in an eight-round bout this Friday.
Now 58 years old, Tyson’s bout with Paul has drawn some criticism from fans who worry about the old champion facing a man 30 years his junior, but “Iron Mike” contends he’s in a better place now than he was when he retired.
“Thank you very much for being concerned. But I am fighting. I’m going to be okay… I was a different person then,” Tyson told Manouk Akopyan about his message to fans. “I was using narcotics, alcohol back then. I’m not that person anymore. I see a better picture of myself now. I see light. I see the world from a different perspective now.”
Tyson’s personal and professional career has been fraught with controversy, including a 1992 rape conviction which led to two years in prison. More recently, in 2006 Tyson was arrested for driving under the influenced where he admitted to drug use and addiction. He checked himself into rehab in 2007.
But despite now being clean and his repeated assertions that he’s ready to face Paul, many still worry about the dangers of this bout, especially as the fight was postponed from its original date over the summer after Tyson suffered a medical emergency while flying. But Tyson insists that based on all his training, he’s more than ready for this matchup.
“Great. I feel great,” Tyson said. “… I’ve got the rounds in me. Listen, I’m sparring young guys, 30s, 20s, I’m sparring young guys and they’re hitting me real hard. It wasn’t a picnic when I first started training. I’m fighting with younger guys and they’re really giving me a shellacking at first. … I’m doing my share [now].”
Regardless of the wisdom of the bout, everything appears set to take place this Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and broadcast live via Netflix, in what figures to be the biggest combat sports event of the year. And depending how things go, this might not be a one-time return for Tyson.
“Sky is the limit,” Tyson said. “We’ll see. I’m interested in doing it again.”