When Jake Paul and Mike Tyson take to the ring for their long-awaited battle this weekend, there will be two women who will have stress levels higher than their partners in the ring.
While the fight between social media star Paul and the legendary Tyson may have been hailed as controversial due to the 31-year age gap, the whole boxing world will almost certainly have their eyes on the AT&T Stadium in Texas come Friday night.
It has been a long time coming. The blockbuster bout was originally scheduled for July, but Tyson, who is a former two-time heavyweight world champion, had to pull out due to an ulcer problem.
Throughout the whole debacle, both Paul’s fiancee Jutta Leerdam and Tyson’s wife Lakiha Spicer have been by their side. Come fight night, we will see the stars entering the arena hand-in-hand with their loved ones.
But who are Leerdam and Spicer? Mail Sport takes a look at the two women behind two of the biggest names in boxing.
Mike Tyson (left) and Jake Paul (right) will settle their differences in the ring on November 15
Tyson’s third wife Lakiha Spencer (left) may make a rare appearance to watch the big bout
While Paul now dates Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam (right) after they went official last year
Who are they?
Leerdam and Spicer could not be much more different. While Paul’s girlfriend follows his extravagant lifestyle in the public eye, Tyson’s other half likes to keep away from the bright lights of fame.
There is a reason Leerdam attracts publicity. The 25-year-old is a highly successful athlete who has won World Championship titles and even an Olympic silver medal in speed skating at the Winter Games in 2022.
Born in the Netherlands, Leerdam’s achievements in the rink have opened many doors for her. She has followed in the footsteps of her boyfriend in becoming somewhat of a social media sensation.
The Dutch skater, who has been branded the ‘world’s hottest speed skater’ by the Dutch media, has amassed over four-and-a-half million Instagram followers. She regularly posts snaps of her either competing, living her extroverted life with Paul, or showing off her glamorous getaways.
Meanwhile, Spicer lives a very different life. The 47-year-old is an entrepreneur, author, and business owner, who does not have social media and is rarely seen with her husband.
She is Tyson’s third wife and their relationship got off to a rocky start. Sprcer had trouble with the law when they met and served a six-month prison sentence in 2008 after being embroiled in a fraud and conspiracy case.
Spicer, also known as ‘Kiki’ is rarely seen in public unless with her husband as she likes to keep a low profile, but she is expected to be there in Texas to cheer ‘the baddest man on the planet’.
Leerdham is a champion speed skater and won Olympic silver at the Winter Games in 2022
Paul’s other half is also know for her Instagram account where she has four-and-a-half million followers and shows off her glamorous getaways
Spicer keeps away from the cameras more often than not and is only snapped with Tyson
How did they meet?
Paul struck up relationship rumours with spectacular skater Leerdam in March 2023 when the pair were caught packing on the PDA during a romantic date night in Miami, Florida.
It didn’t take long for the Dutch star to confirm that they were an item. She shared pictures of her cosying up to the social media sensation-turned-boxer on Instagram the next month.
Paul and Leerdam have now been together for a year-and-a-half and the YouTuber has even hinted at getting married to the Olympian and starting a family.
The fighter has previously been engaged twice with social media stars Tana Mongeau and Julia Rose. However, his ‘marriage’ to Mongeau was not legally binding and he called it quits with Rose before they had the chance to walk down the aisle.
Tyson and Spicer, however, have been together much longer. The couple actually met in 1998 while ‘Iron Mike’ was 28 and his current wife was only 18. At the time, he was married to his second wife Monica Spencer.
They reportedly began an ‘on-and-off’ fling in the early 2000s while Tyson was still wed to Spencer. He would go on to get divorced in 2003 and Spicer would soon become his girlfriend.
Their relationship would get complicated when ‘Kiki’ was sent to prison as the then 31-year-old discovered she was pregnant with Tyson’s baby just one week before the sentencing.
Following her release, the pair wed in June 2009 and now have two children together — their daughter Milan, who was born in the same year as their marriage, and a son called Morocco Elijah, born two years later.
Paul and Leerdam confirmed their romance in April 2023 after they were papped packing on the PDA, which they still do now
The athletic pair have now been together for over a year-and-a-half and can’t be separated
Spicer and Tyson have been married 15 years but originally met in 1998 when the boxer was married to his second wife
Tyson has two children with his wife including daughter Milan (left) who Spicer was pregnant with while in prison in 2009
Their impact on Paul and Tyson
Leerdam’s ultra-competitive nature, born from her willingness and ability to win at the elite level, has had a positive effect on Paul. During their relationship, he has changed from a ‘wannabe boxer’ to a committed athlete.
When the couple started dating, Paul was coming off the back of his first and only professional defeat against Tommy Fury. He was going through a tough time mentally, not knowing how to handle the shortcoming.
However, Paul’s relationship with Leerdam helped steer him through the storm during that time period and he has admitted that her love brought him out of a ‘dark place’.
‘She’s one of the most pure-hearted human beings that I have met in my life,’ Paul told his YouTube channel in April 2023. ‘[She’s] so genuine and she has just changed my perspective and helped me coming out of this loss when I was in a dark place.’
Spicer has also had a similar positive impact on her husband. When she came out of prison 15 years ago, Tyson was deep into a drug addiction in which he would regularly consume cocaine and alcohol.
However, his third wife would help change his life and wean him off substances. The former undisputed heavyweight champion once claimed that he would be a ‘savage animal’ if it was not for his wife.
He credits Spicer for saving his life after going through a dark period early on in their 15-year marriage.
Tyson once told US magazine People: ‘I’m very happy me and my wife got together because I don’t know how I would have survived out there.’
Jake Paul’s only professional loss aginst Tommy Fury caused him to go into a ‘dark place’
But the fighter admitted that Leerdam’s love helped pull him out of his mental struggles
Tyson (pictured in 2009) was deep into a drug addiction at the start of his marriage with Spicer
The former undisputed heavyweight champion once claimed that he would be a ‘savage animal’ if it was not for his wife
Net worth
As you could probably guess, both Leerdam and Spicer are doing well for themselves on the finance front. Not because of their wealthy partners but their personal exploits.
The Dutch skater’s exploits on the rink and popularity on social media have landed her a fortune. It is estimated that she is worth $5million (£3.8m). Meanwhile, it has been reported that her boyfriend Paul is currently worth around $38m (£30m).
Meanwhile, Spicer is not doing too badly herself. Various websites have predicted her wealth to be around $1m-3m due to her boutique shop.
With Tyson set to rake in roughly £15m from this upcoming fight, their family wealth is set to soar even higher.
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