Mike Tyson Slapped Jake Paul During Final Stare-Down, And Here’s Why

Though the fight hasn’t even started yet, Iron Mike Tyson took the first shot against Jake Paul.

In preparation for their huge bout Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas, boxing icon Mike Tyson, 58, and online sensation Jake Paul, 27, faced off in their weigh-in on Thursday night.

But what happened, surprised many boxing fans. Tyson took his right hand and slapped Paul across the face as the two brazen combatants stood nose to nose.

Paul, to his credit, appeared unmoved and tapped his cheek while staring back at Tyson as security forced him away. Then Paul turned to the audience and began to chuckle.

The event ended somewhat abruptly as Mike got escorted away. Paul, who weighs 227 pounds, yelled his own opinion into the microphone before he stormed off stage: “Now, it’s personal.” “He hits like a b*tch … It’s personal now. He must die.”

Asked what he would say to his 27-year-old foe right now, if they were together, Tyson responded sharply: “Talking’s over.”

@MikeTyson is this my chris rock moment? pic.twitter.com/ITDQbNYhCI

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 15, 2024

Why did Mike slap Jake ?

According to Mike Tyson’s close friend, the boxer told him that he smacked Jake Paul when Paul stepped on his foot.

If you take a closer look at the video of the incident, it looks like Paul briefly steps on Tyson’s right foot before swiftly repositioning it. Then, before the two men were separated, Tyson pointed to the ground and smacked Paul across the face with his right hand.

“The reaction was caused by Jake stepping on Mike’s foot,” Tom Patti, a longtime friend of Tyson, “Mike just told me that I was there.”

Later, Tyson himself talked with NewYork Post:

“I was in my socks and he had on shoes. He stepped on my toe because he is a f–king a–hole. I wanted to think it happened by accident. But now I think it may have happened on purpose.”

In recent days, Tyson’s behavior has changed. He was quite chatty during the open workouts on Tuesday, but he was much more reserved during the news conference on Wednesday, giving brief responses to inquiries from the press. He appeared to have had enough of the chitchat by Thursday and was prepared to take action.

Perhaps Friday night will reveal whether there is genuine hostility between the two or if they are merely exaggerating it for the drama of the occasion.