Mike Tyson sends final three-word message to Jake Paul hours before fight

Mike Tyson has declared "it's a war" as he makes the final preparations for his much-anticipated fight with .

The former heavyweight champion of the will make his return to the ring on Friday night, aged 58. It will be his first fight since drawing with Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition four years ago, and his first professional outing since quitting on his stool vs Kevin McBride almost 20 years ago.

He will take on YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, who is 31 years Tyson's junior, in front of an expected 80,000-strong crowd inside the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

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The fight has been fraught with controversy with many believing Tyson is no longer in condition to compete. 'Iron Mike' was forced to withdraw from their first proposed meeting in July after experiencing an ulcer flare-up while on a flight.

But Tyson insists he is ready to the upset the bookmakers, who have Paul as the favourite, and promised a war in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Tyson and Paul will meet under a modified rule-set with the fight taking place over eight two-minute rounds. The combatants will also wear 14oz gloves rather than the 10oz mitts typically worn by heavyweights.

at the weigh-in saw Tyson slap his opponent across the face. The former champ said Paul had stepped on his foot, triggering the violent reaction.

In the moments after the slap, Paul said: "I didn’t even feel it. He’s angry. He’s an angry little elf. , I thought that was a cute slap.” The 27-year-old then launched into a series of expletive-laden remarks, promising to end Iron Mike in the upcoming fight. It’s personal now," Paul added, before bellowing into the microphone: "He must die."

Tyson told the New York Post: "I was in my socks and he had on shoes. "He stepped on my toe because he is a f***ing a**hole. 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." A member of Tyson's team added: "Jake has been poking the bear the whole time. Mike slapped the s*** out of him."

Tyson initially retired from the sport with a professional record of 50 wins and six defeats and a claim to be the most devastating heavyweight in history. Paul, meanwhile, has 10 victories and a solitary defeat, suffered when he was beaten by on points.

Within those 10 wins, he has largely taken on ex-MMA fighters including Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.