Jake Paul lost his cool at the press conference for his fight with Mike Tyson, making numerous $1m bets with undercard boxers who predicted he will lose.
Paul, 27, will box Tyson, 58, at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Friday (15 November), 19 years after “Iron Mike” last fought professionally.
• FOLLOW LIVE: Paul vs Tyson press conference
The heavyweight icon did compete in an exhibition bout as recently as 2020, against Roy Jones Jr, but some fear for Tyson’s health here – particularly after his fight with Paul was delayed earlier this year, when Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up on a plane. Meanwhile, YouTube star Paul has gone 10-1 as a pro boxer in recent years, mainly beating MMA fighters and lesser-known boxers. His sole loss was a points defeat by Tommy Fury – half-brother of Tyson Fury – in 2023.
And at the end of Wednesday’s press conference for Paul vs Tyson, host Ariel Helwani asked every undercard fighter who they think will win Friday’s main event.
The picks for Tyson outnumbered those for Paul, who then stood up and confronted everyone who had bet against him, asking “how much” they were willing to wager.
Paul offered several fighters $1m bets, while India’s Neeraj Goyat wagered his property in his home country (saying it was worth $1m), Melinda Watpool bet a ring, and Dana Coolwell offered $20.
Taylor's response appeared to catch Paul by surprise, floating the potential to bet their entire purse for their specific fights.
The pair then shook hands, before Paul concluded: “I'm sending out contracts too.”
Earlier, former world champion Tony Bellew crashed the press conference with his own microphone, mocking Paul from the crowd while accompanied by an old man wearing a boxing robe and gloves.
Paul vs Tyson will stream live on Netflix, as the pair clash at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, with up to 80,000 fans in attendance.
