Getty Former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson attends the fight between Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez on June 7, 2014 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Former boxing heavyweight champion Mike Tyson wants an exorbitant amount of money to face off against social media sensation Jake Paul.
Speaking recently on his “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson” podcast, “Iron Mike” said he wants $1 billion to exchange hands with Paul. “The Problem Child” is 5-0 as a professional boxer, boasting wins over the likes of former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and ex-ONE and Bellator 170-pound king Ben Askren.
There has been speculation in the combat sports community about Tyson pairing up with either Jake or Logan Paul inside a boxing ring, but according to Iron Mike, he’s never been talked to by anyone about boxing The Problem Child.
“Nobody told me that,” Tyson said via Talk Sport.
But just because Tyson said no one’s discussed a match with Paul doesn’t mean he wouldn’t sign a contract.
“Hey, I ain’t got no f****** money,” Tyson continued, speaking with Jermell Charlo and Paul Pierce. “So where’s the f****** contract? I ain’t know nothing about it. Listen, I’ve been smoking with him forever, I did some shrooms with him as well. But I’ve never heard this.
“I was with him in St Barts not too long ago partying and he never told me this. I’ve never heard this from nobody, I’ve just heard this from you guys. We got to get some more man s***, blue-eyed, blonde hair, that s*** is very expensive, we need to get some more money, man.”
And when Iron Mike was asked how much he’d want to box Paul, the boxing icon replied: “a billion bucks”.
Tyson Thinks Many Underestimate Paul’s Skill as a Boxer
GettyYouTube sensation Jake Paul celebrating after another impressive knockout in the boxing ring.
During a recent episode of Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, Tyson warned that some boxers may underestimate Paul, which could lead to “something different” happening inside the ring than they expected.
“I think he should too [fight a boxer], but these guys are very emotional and they want him to fight him so bad they forget that he’s a trained fighter,” Tyson said via Boxing Scene.
“He’s going to make them believe that they can really beat this guy because he’s white with blonde hair and blue eyes, and then they go in the ring and something different happens.”
Tyson also shared that he believes Paul is “good for boxing.”
“We started a genre and now we’ve got guys like Paul doing this stuff,” Iron Mike continued. “I think Paul is a big shot in the arm for boxing. No boxer has ever brought that many people to the network like Paul did and I think he’s good for boxing, he brings money to boxing.”
UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman Open to Fighting Jake Paul for $100 Million
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman also said recently on Sharpe’s podcast that he’d fight Paul for $100 million.
“They can say whatever they want to say.” Usman said via Fox Sports. “He can say this or I can say that. Write me a check for $100 million, Jake Paul, and I’ll be there to kick your a** next week.”
“The Nigerian Nightmare” has an exclusive contract with the UFC, however, so he’d have to get permission from UFC president Dana White if he’d want to explore a boxing match with Paul.