How Mike Tyson, 58, is preparing to fight Jake Paul, who’s almost half his age
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul on November 12.
Mike Tyson, 58, is preparing to fight Jake Paul, 27, on Friday at 8 p.m. ET at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium.
Paul, a YouTuber who’s been boxing professionally for four years, is set to take on the two-time heavyweight world champion Tyson in eight two-minute rounds in front of a live audience of 70,000 people and up to 280 million watching live via Netflix.
While Tyson is more experienced, he hasn’t fought professionally since he lost to Kevin McBride in 2005.
When asked on Tuesday after a public workout what he’s learned during his training for Friday’s fight, Tyson said: “That I’m tougher than I believed I was because, when I agreed to this fight and started training, I thought: ‘What the fuck was I thinking of?’ But I’ve finished the process. The fight is the party. All the hard work is done.”
Here’s what we know about how Tyson has been training for the fight.
Mike Tyson during an open workout session.
Tyson trains early in the morning
On Wednesday’s episode of “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” Tyson described his training regime: “Four o’clock in the morning, doing an hour of cardio, then take a bath, wake up at one o’clock, go to the gym, train eight rounds boxing, hit the bag, maybe, then I train with my strength and conditioning coach, and then I work again. It’s just an all-day process.”
He added that while training is sometimes fun, it can be difficult.
Tyson has been posting snippets from his training on Instagram, showing himself building both strength and cardiovascular fitness.
He can be seen doing air-bike workouts, bodyweight squats, bench presses, shoulder presses, lying medicine-ball throws, rows, neck-strengthening exercises, and bicep curls — and throwing punches in the ring.
Tyson quit being vegan
While Tyson used to be a vegan, he now enjoys eating meat when training for a fight, he told Van Susteren.
“After a fight, I won’t eat meat anymore,” he said, adding that he likes how he feels without it.
Affirmations are key for Tyson
Fostering a positive mindset is a key part of Tyson’s mental training.
“There’s nothing stronger than the power of belief, affirmations, saying wonderful things about yourself, whatever you’re willing to accomplish, you foresee it before it even happens,” he said in a recent Instagram video. “You talk about it — you think about it constantly. That’s the beginning of the mindset of winning.”
Jake Paul eats luxury protein
Tyson’s opponent, Paul, has been training hard, too.
The YouTuber turned boxer told Men’s Health in July that he trains twice a day, five to six days a week. His first session of the day is boxing and drills, while the second is strength and conditioning or track, he said.
As for his diet, Paul said he used to love fast food but now eats mostly whole foods and prioritizes protein, especially luxury cuts like wagyu beef and smoked salmon.
To calm his mind, Paul said he meditates and goes on beach walks.