Mike Tyson Admits Jake Paul Caused Him ‘A Lot Of Pain’ Ahead Of Fight

Mike Tyson recently made headlines after slapping Jake Paul during a heated weigh-in confrontation before their big fight.

The legendary boxer has now opened up about the altercation, claiming Paul stepped on his toe with his shoes on, so he had to retaliate.

Hardly fazed by the slap, Jake Paul insinuated that Mike Tyson didn’t cause him much pain, claiming the heavyweight champion “hits like a b-tch.”

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul had a heated moment during the pre-fight weigh-in at Las Colinas, Texas, ahead of his boxing showdown against Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium.

At the event, tensions between the pair intensified when Paul stepped on the boxing legend’s toe, causing Tyson to slap him hard across the face.

Paul reportedly responded, “He hits like a b-tch … He must die.” However, Tyson claims he didn’t hear the influencer.

“I was in my socks, and he had on shoes,” Tyson told the New York Post. “He stepped on my toe because he is a f-cking a-shole. I wanted to think it happened by accident. But now I think it may have happened on purpose.”

“I was in a lot of pain. I had to reciprocate,” he explained further.

A representative of Tyson told the news outlets, “Jake has been poking the bear the whole time. Mike slapped the sh-t out of him.”

Ahead of their fight, Tyson and Paul have made sure to rile each other up with some tough talk.

The legendary boxer was asked what he’d love to do to his 27-year-old contender if they were together, to which he replied, “Tough love.”

“He’s more of a clown than an entertainer,” the 58-year-old ex-heavyweight champ said of Paul. “He’s a clown. He needs to stop playing.”

Asked if he would knock Paul on his a-s, Tyson simply replied, “Yes!”

During a Thursday interview with 14-year-old social media personality Jazlyn Guerra, Tyson opened up about what he’d love to be remembered for after stepping out of the ring.

“I don’t believe in the word legacy. I just think it’s another word for ego,” Tyson said, per the New York Post. “Legacy doesn’t mean nothing. That’s just some word everyone grabbed onto. … It means absolutely nothing to me. I’m just passing through. I’m gonna die, and it’s going to be over. Who cares about legacy after that?”

The boxing legend continued, “What a big ego. I want people to think I’m this, I’m great. No, I’m nothing. We’re just dead. We’re dust, we’re absolutely nothing. Our legacy is nothing.”

Guerra was in awe of Tyson’s perspective and thanked him before making room for him to continue his quip.

“Can you really imagine somebody saying, ‘I really want my legacy to be this way when I’m’ — you’re dead?” he continued. “You think someone really wants to think about you? Where’s the audacity – I want people to think about me when I’m gone. Who the f-ck cares about when I’m gone?”

Tyson and Paul would have slugged it out in the ring since July 20, but the 58-year-old came down with a severe medical emergency leading to the readjustments in date.

“Coming here from Miami on the plane, I went to the bathroom, and I threw up blood. Next thing I know, I’m on the floor, and I was defecating tar,” Tyson said in a Netflix documentary, “Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson.” “So I came (to the hospital), they said I had a big ulcer, two and a half inches, it was bleeding. All my friends were calling me like I’m dying.”

“A week and a half ago, I was training, and I was doing great, and then all of a sudden, I started feeling tired,” Tyson said in the documentary about how he was feeling prior to the flight. “And I was explaining to my trainer, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

The fight has generated so much buzz online, with both participants helping to keep the conversation going on social media.

When he was asked what it felt like to return to the ring, he said, “I’m just ready to fight. I’ve said everything I had to say. There’s nothing else to say. I’m just looking forward to fighting.”

He added, “I’m not going to lose.”

Tyson recently shared his intention to get more tattoos after his fight with Paul is over.

In his interview with the New York Post, the boxer who shocked the world in 2003 due to the unique tribal tattoo on the left side of his face said: “I’m thinking about some tattoos.”

He added, “I think I just want to do my face, my whole face.”

When pressed for details about the design, Tyson chose not to share: “I’m not going to tell you, but it’s going to be interesting.”