Jake Paul's mum and dad terrified after watching Mike Tyson almost KO trainer in open workout
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Jake Paul’s mother and father are confident of their son winning all of his fights, but they’ve never been more frightened heading into a bout.
The controversial YouTuber-turned-boxer takes on legendary heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson on Friday night in the first fight broadcast on Netflix. And the pair kicked off fight week festivities this evening in Irving, Texas with an open workout for fans and media.
Undercard fighters warmed up the audience before Tyson and Paul took to the ring, with the boxing icon impressing during his rounds with Rafael Cordeiro. The social media star’s parents took in the action from ringside, standing mere feet away from the terrifying spectacle.
- Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson: How to watch, live stream, start time, full card and rules
Jake Paul’s mum admits she is terrified of Mike Tyson fight
One key factor in the build-up to Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson has been the divide between younger and older fans when predicting the bout. Experts from the newer generation cite the Brooklyn native’s advanced age, 58, and Paul’s youth, while more tenured viewers remember his tenacity in his prime.
Paul’s parents Pam Stepnick and Greg Paul grew up as viewers in a middle America gripped by Tyson’s fearsome punching power. And when Stepnick learned that her son was going to fight the legendary boxer, she was admittedly horrified.
Speaking with Bloody Elbow after watching the aging fighter almost take his trainer’s head off with a series of combinations on Tuesday night, she explained: “Always seeing Mike Tyson in person is terrifying.
“I watched him growing up, baddest man on the planet. 100 per cent, just watching him was scary. Hands down this is the most frightened I’ve been going into one of Jake’s fights, but I’m not going to stop him!
“I never tell Jake or [his brother] Logan they ‘can’t’ do something. I always tell them to do what’s in their heart, manifest, and that I believe in them. But you don’t want to know what I was thinking! What I’m thinking is hopefully Mike made that look better than it really was.
“He’s a professional, he gets his guy up on the ropes, makes it look like he’s really hitting him, okay. I don’t do predictions, I just hope that Jake wins!”
Jake Paul’s dad is confident of a KO win over Mike Tyson – despite his fears
For Jake’s father Greg Paul, this fight is truly a ‘pinch me’ moment in life. He has regularly told of how during his early days watching boxing and MMA, he was most interested in watching Mike Tyson take to the ring.
“Just seeing Mike, he is a massive man,” Greg marvelled after the open workout. “He’s a bad a** but Jake is ready for it. He’s been training hard, I think Jake is going to win by TKO, but absolutely [this is the most afraid I’ve been going into a fight].
“Everybody that Jake has fought so dar, except for Anderson Silva, I would fight in the street. I wouldn’t fight Mike Tyson in the street for nothing, unless I had a gun or a knife. It wouldn’t happen.”
As for his favourite memory of the iconic heavyweight champ? “Biting off the ear, everyone remembers that one,” he laughed. “I was watching Tyson from the beginning because I was born and raised in Cleveland and Mike was huge here.
“Him coming out with black shorts, black shoes, no music just straight boxing, it was unbelievable, he is a massive man and he’s great. I hugged him at Logan’s podcast and I was like ‘holy f*** this dude is solid, man’.
“I’m nervous, it’s a fight that can go anyway at any time. I think Jake is going to stop him, I think it’s going to be a TKO.”
