Mike Tyson has explained that he didn’t step into the ring with Jake Paul last month for financial gain.
At 58, the former heavyweight world champion returned to the squared-circle in a professional capacity for the first time in almost two decades, with hopes of stopping the ‘Problem Child’ in his tracks. However, ‘Iron’ Mike looked tired during the November 15 bout at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – picked apart by his 27-year-old opponent at leisure over the course of eight rounds.
Paul ultimately received a unanimous decision victory courtesy of his performance, bolstering his professional boxing record to 11-1 while adding Tyson to a growing list of sporting legends he has bested. And while many fans expect that both men received a massive payday for the fight – which was exclusively streamed worldwide via Netflix – Tyson has said that it wasn’t about the money.
Speaking to Steve Covino and Rich Davis on Fox Sports Radio after the bout, Tyson was probed on what inspired him to take part in the bout in the first place, to which he replied: “I don’t know. The fight. Jake. We were talking about it for years, let’s do it.” Tyson was then asked if the payday helped out with convincing him to get back into the ring, but the pugilist was adamant that it had no influence whatsoever in his grand return.
He dismissed the assumption, explaining: “No, no, no. That payday’s not going to change my lifestyle at all.” When the hosts acknowledged Tyson’s luxurious home in the backdrop of the video call, saying that the star is “living in a beautiful place”, Tyson agreed: “Yes. Yes I am.
“Very fortunate, I’m very fortunate. Yes, thank God. Allahu Akbar [God is great].” Tyson is expected to have received a purse of around $10million for his part in the fight with Paul, however, he has previously noted that one of the main drivers for accepting the challenge was to test himself.
Speaking at an MMA event, the fighter explained: “Thats bulls— for me. Im a man; I want to go out there and I want to expose myself to risk. Sometimes I want to see who I really am. I want to see what Im really made out of. I want to perform in front of the world.
“To me, thats all I ever knew how to do since I was 14. This fight is not going to change my life financially enough. This is just what I want to do.” Tyson appears to have become far more cautious with his money when compared to his careless spending in the prime of his boxing career.
The 59-7-2 fighter racked up an impressive fortune of around $400m in his heyday, but found himself bankrupt just years later – after reportedly spending $100,000 per month on clothing, buying a 21-bedroom mega-mansion in Connecticut, and three incredibly costly Bengal tigers.
Speaking to Graham Bensinger about his past lifestyle in a 2016 interview, Tyson explained: “That’s just how I lived my life. I don’t even fathom that, I don’t even think I’m that kind of guy. I don’t even consider having money like that any more. That’s just my ex life – how I lived my life. That’s my addictive personality. That’s a lot of things. That’s me ego, so many other things.
“That stems from pretty much from me being poor and never having anything. From me being bitter, angry, from me being in prison. It’s stemmed from a lot of things.”
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