BREAKING NEWS: Former opponent claims ‘Mike Tyson demolished me in 89 seconds and will do the same to Jake Paul’ .giang

Mike Tyson WILL destroy Jake Paul in their Netflix fight next month.

Tyson may not have had a pro fight for almost 20 years but his “power and knowledge” will mean that he dominates and likely knocks out YouTuber turned-fighter Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Nov. 15.

And the 31-year age difference “don’t count for much when you are standing opposite Mike”. That is the insight from Tyson’s former opponent and now friend Peter “The Hurricane” McNeeley, who backs former undisputed champ Tyson to convincingly win the match.

In an exclusive interview, McNeeley told the Mirror US Sports that he backs Tyson in his boxing comeback insisting that training videos show he is “looking tough” and in “great shape”. The Boston slugger, 55, feels that his generation of pugilists are a different breed, still able to compete. He still boxes regularly and trains kids at his local gym.

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And he admits that offers have come in for him to step back into the ring for a showcase fight. McNeeley, speaking from his home, revealed: “The way I see it Mike is going to hurt this kid. I have seen the videos of him training and he looks real sharp. The kid better watch out.

“Jake Paul has never fought a real professional or someone of Mike’s caliber. I remember what it was like being hit by him and just because you get older doesn’t mean you lose that power.“

He laughed: “My prediction? Mike wins. He might just knock him out. I have no doubt he has the power.” Asked if Paul has a chance, he added: “Nah.”

Tyson postponed the initial summer bout over a health concern and since then fans have expressed concerns about his physical welfare.

But McNeeley, 56, reacted: “I am not even worried about Mike’s health a little bit. He knows what he’s doing. He has huge experience and knows himself. I’m not worried about either of their safety.”

Tyson and Paul are poised to earn around $30 million each for the Netflix screen special. He added: “They are making a lot of money out of it. So in the end, it’s all about the money. And they both going to make a load of money.”

McNeeley was thrust to global fame when he was picked as Tyson’s first opponent when he made his professional return after a three-year prison sentence having been convicted of rape in 1995. McNeeley was knocked down twice before his trainer threw in the towel in the first round.

Upbeat McNeely reveals that he was terrified before the match, even though publicly he’d promised to wreck Tyson’s comeback. McNeeley was devastated by Tyson’s speed and precision, but also insists that his trainers had prepared him well to avoid “damage” from “my power left hooks”.

McNeeley, whose career saw him have a record of 47 fights and seven losses, still enjoys recounting to fans starring in the then-highest-ever pay-per-view TV boxing match. Tyson dismantled McNeeley in 89 seconds in Las Vegas in front of 16,113 fans at the MGM Grand Garden on August 19, 1995. The spectacle grossed almost $100 million worldwide and set multiple domestic pay-per-view records.

“It was a lottery ticket for me. I took my shot, but he was a better fighter than me. Mike was all speed – frankly blinding fast speed. I was trying to get him out of there early, but I didn’t see that really good right cross coming; although the first knockdown I was off balance. I felt okay because I bounced up and just wanted to get back to him

The referee had no choice to start the count, But I wasn’t out or really hurt.

“So he came at me, he switched to southpaw and got me clean with his best punch – that career punch – the right uppercut point blank on the chin. I don’t remember this, but if you look at the film closely I went down on my face as I couldn’t get my hands up to stop my fall. You know something is wrong.

“When I did get up at the count of four I was out of my face. I was mixed up, my pupils were dilated as s— and concussed. Vinnie was a foot away from me, because I got knocked down in my own corner, and he saw my eyes.”

His trainer Vinnie Vecchione stepped into the ring to protect his fighter from more damage as boos rang out across the arena.

“People were mad when Vinnie jumped and stopped the fight and I feel Vinnie did the right thing stopping the fight. At the time I was p—–, but I understand why he did that. ‘My instinct was I wanted to go at him a third time.

“But when Mike Tyson has you hurt, he is like a shark in blood-infested waters. When you are hurt – he is going to f— you up. That is the bottom line. If I would have continued maybe he would have hurt me real bad.”

McNeeley, raised in Medfield, Massachusetts, laughed: “I respect Vinnie for that. “Afterward I went up to Mike and said you will be champion again. And since that moment I was tied to Mike for life.”

And he enjoyed fame for a couple of years – earning over $300k for commercial deals with brands like Pizza Hut and AOL.

“I am smart enough and man enough to know I was just the co-star. But I have always been a confident kid and being out with media came easy for me.”

McNeeley won the USBF heavyweight title a few weeks later, while Tyson retained his WBC and WBA crowns. Youngsters still are fascinated by his experience.

“The kids still talk about Tyson to me. And the coach has a lot of good fighters there. I always say they will come and talk to me about advice when they are ready.”