Iron Mike struck first.
Mike Tyson slapped Jake Paul in the face during their weigh-in on Thursday, only 24 hours before their highly anticipated boxing match.
The two were then separated as part of the typical pre-fight promotional hoopla, with Paul mimicking Tyson by playfully smacking his own face.
MIKE TYSON HITS JAKE PAUL AT THE WEIGH IN #PaulTyson
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LIVE ON NETFLIX
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15
8 PM ET | 5 PM PT pic.twitter.com/kFU40jVvk0
— Netflix (@netflix) November 15, 2024
“I didn’t even feel it,” Paul admitted afterward. “He is enraged. He’s a furious little elf. Mike Tyson, I thought it was the cutest slap, buddy. But tomorrow, you’ll be knocked the f— out.”
Paul later wrote on X, “This is a pinch-me moment.” Mike Tyson slapped me.
This is a pinch me moment. I got slapped by Mike Tyson 🤗
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 15, 2024
Tyson, a former heavyweight champion, and Paul, a YouTuber turned boxer, will face off in a professionally sanctioned combat on Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The fight, which will last eight two-minute rounds, will air on Netflix.
It will be Tyson’s first professional fight since 2005, and he will share the record for the largest age disparity in a boxing contest with Paul, who is 27 years old.
Paul weighed 227.2 pounds, while Tyson weighed 228.4 pounds before their heavyweight match.