“I want to die in the ring”…Mike Tyson’s terrible message before controversial fight against Jake Paul

Tyson has only competed twice since his retirement in 2005; an appearance in 2006 with Corey Sanders before a comeback fight in 2020 with Roy Jones Jr. In the time since that Jones fight, Paul has fought nine times, the last three being brutal knockout victories.

Mike Tyson claims he is “ready to die in the ring” against Jake Paul

After being canceled from his first fight date with Paul in July, “Iron Mike” appears to have managed to get himself into top shape for the heavyweight showdown. He trains six hours a day to prepare, including some leaked sparring sessions.

But he appears to be aware of the risk he is taking by stepping into the ring just months after his ulcer attack caused the event to be delayed. He managed to last eight rounds with Jones but hasn't fought since and is fighting a full professional fight this time, albeit with changed rules.

And during a promotional video for the fight, he told the cameras that everything, including his life, was on the line when he took on Paul. “If I win, I will be immortal,” he said. “If I do bad, I don’t want to die in a hospital bedroom, I want to die in the ring.”

The comment worried boxing fans. One wrote that Tyson would be in trouble if he got past the first two rounds. Another added that the entire event was “sad for boxing.”

Muhammad Ali's former manager believes Mike Tyson is better than ever

Boxing icon Muhammad Ali's legendary manager Gene Kilroy visited Tyson during his training camp, with footage of the meeting emerging this week. Kilroy had known Tyson since he was 13 and was amazed at the condition he is in at age 58.

“This is the strongest I've ever seen, the strongest I've ever seen, and I've known you since you were 13 years old,” Kilroy admitted to Tyson.

“I find that so (amazing), it really impressed me. Nothing impresses me. You know what, I'll tell you the truth, I'm not lying. I was worried about him traveling here or there, I can sleep at night now. “That’s great,” Kilroy continued.

He also made the sensational claim that Tyson was trying harder for this fight than he did for his fight with Lennox Lewis in 2002. At this point, the boxing icon had been in and out of the ring repeatedly, but his career was not going in a positive direction.

“I'm proud of you, Mike. I'm proud of you, it's a new generation,” Kilroy remarked, before asking him: “You've done more training than I've seen in the whole time you've fought Lenox Lewis, am I right or injustice?” “Brother from another time. “It’s a whole new ball game,” Tyson replied.

Jake Paul has bulked up for the showdown with Mike Tyson

At one point in his young fighting career, Jake Paul seemed determined to lose weight in order to get a fight with Canelo Alvarez. But now he seems more interested in packing on as many pounds as possible as he moves up to heavyweight.

Paul is thought to have done his best work around the 185-pound mark, but in recent fights he has been fighting right at the cruiserweight limit at 199 pounds. And he is believed to have bulked up to 230 pounds to face Tyson, who tipped the scales at around 220 pounds against Jones in 2020.

A recent video shared on social media by Most Valuable Promotions shows Paul and his MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian meeting Amanda Serrano at an event. She will face Katie Taylor in the co-main event on November 15 at AT&T Stadium in a historic rematch for the world title.

In the video, Paul can be seen talking about how they both need to “gain weight,” to which Bidarian jokes that he's “getting fatter.” He then explains that he is now “really a heavyweight, a true heavyweight” and feels good, which she agrees with.

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