Mike Tyson delivers chilling message to Jake Paul as 58-year-old former undisputed world heavyweight champion reacts to his opponent claiming boxing ‘is my sport now’

Excitement for Mike Tyson’s fight with Jake Paul is growing after the 58-year-old delivered a chilling message to his opponent.

Boxing icon Tyson – who was the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990 – is set to face YouTuber Paul in Texas on Friday night.

Paul will start the fight as the bookmakers’ favourite – largely due to the fact that, at 27, he is more than three decades younger than his opponent.

He has also won 10 of his first 11 fights since embarking on a career in boxing, with his only defeat so far coming against Tommy Fury via a split decision last year.

Paul and Tyson had originally been scheduled to meet in July but the fight had to be rearranged due to an injury.

Paul has beaten 10 of his first 11 opponents as a boxer, including Mike Perry (right) in July

Tyson, pictured (centre) back in 1987, is a former undisputed world heavyweight champion

With Tyson unavailable in July, Paul instead fought and beat former UFC star Mike Perry.

Speaking after that fight, Paul sent a message to Tyson. 

He said: ‘Mike, I love you. But this is my sport now. It’s an honour to get in the ring with you.

‘I’m so, so honoured. You’re a legend. But I’m gonna take your throne, brother.’

Footage of Paul saying those words was played to Tyson as part of Netflix’s preview for Friday’s fight.

Tyson’s immediate reaction was the smile and laugh.

However, his tone then changed as he calmly responded: ‘There’s a fundamental difference between me and Jake.

‘He is the manufactured killer. Television and papers made him a killer. He’s manufactured. I’m a natural born killer. That’s the difference.’

After beating Perry, Paul told his next opponent: ‘Mike, I love you. But this is my sport now’

Tyson’s initial response was to laugh after being shown a video of Paul’s message for him

But Tyson then replied: ‘He’s manufactured. I’m a natural born killer. That’s the difference’

Reacting to Tyson’s message, one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter): ‘This message from Mike Tyson to Jake Paul is one of the coldest I’ve ever heard.’ 

Another fan added: ‘He meant that with every being of his soul too… what a fight it will be.’

A message from a third fan read: ‘I think it will hit Jake once he’s in the ring, it’s a different world, he will go silent and begin thinking “I really am gonna fight Mike Tyson right now” and that is probably a hard concept to grasp minutes before he moves towards you’.

Tyson and Paul are expected to make their ring walks around 4am (Saturday morning) UK time.

The fight will be broadcast live via Netflix.