Mike Tyson sends brutal two-word warning to Jake Paul after slapping rival

remained tight-lipped about why he slapped during their face-off, but warned his rival that he is "ready". The heavyweight legend seemed to take offence when Paul crawled towards him and then sprang up in his face after the weigh-in.

Tyson slapped Paul before security guards and team members intervened to separate the pair. Once calm was restored, Tyson simply stated: "I'm ready", refusing to elaborate on his actions.

Paul retorted: "I didn't even feel it, he's angry. He's an angry little elf." He continued: "Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap, buddy, but tomorrow you're getting knocked the f*** out. I'm f***ing him up, Ariel, I'm f***ing him up. He hits like a b****... It's personal now, it's personal now. He must die!"

Tyson had been quiet all week and barely spoke at Wednesday's press conference, but came alive after stepping on the scales last night. He weighed in at 228.4lb, six pounds heavier than Paul, who has bulked up from the cruiserweight limit of 200lb since he knocked out Mike Perry inside six rounds in July.

Paul has an impressive record with 10 wins out of 11 professional bouts, his only defeat being at the hands of Tommy Fury last year. He's bolstered his fighting CV with victories over ex-MMA stars such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz.

Additionally, he secured a knockout against former NBA player Nate Robinson during the undercard of Tyson's exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr in 2020, which ended in a stalemate. The upcoming fight, rescheduled from July, will be officially recorded on Tyson's professional tally, albeit it will feature eight two-minute rounds and use 14oz gloves instead of the standard 10oz.

At a recent press conference, when Tyson was probed about critics downplaying the fight, he retorted: "Well, erm. The people (here) speak for itself. I don't have to answer." Confronted with the potential impact of a loss, the legendary 'Iron Mike' bristled with confidence, asserting, "I'm not going to lose," and doubling down with, "I am not going to lose. Did you hear what I said?"

Despite the significant age difference, with Paul at 27 years old, he is favoured to win. However, Tyson remained unfazed, stating: "Thank you. Hey, I'm fine with everything, I'm fine with everything." Tyson stated: "I am just interested in this fight here. I am not talking about fighting anybody, only Jake."

He had previously engaged in verbal sparring, labelling Paul a "manufactured killer" compared to his own self-proclaimed status as a "natural-born killer". However, he appeared subdued during the pre-fight media event, simply remarking, "Yeah that's what I said, that's what I said."