Mike Tyson slaps Jake Paul at weigh-in for upcoming fight

Mike Tyson couldn’t wait for his fight to start, so he slapped his opponent, YouTuber Jake Paul, at their weigh-in Thursday.

The two were to square off in the ring at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, streamed live on Netflix at 8 p.m. Eastern time Friday. The fight was sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation ahead of Tyson’s first professional bout since 2005. 

A video posted by Paul on X, with a caption asking if it was his “Chris Rock moment,” shows him exiting a crouched stance and getting into Tyson’s face before the slap. 

Tom Patti, who trained with Tyson during Iron Mike’s heavyweight heyday of the 1980s, told USA Today, “Jake stepped on Mike’s foot; that prompted the reaction. I was there, and Mike just told me.”

In a subsequent video posted on social media, Netflix showed Paul on stage after the slap saying, “I thought that was a cute slap, buddy, but tomorrow you’re getting knocked the [expletive] out. … He hits like a bitch. It’s personal now!”

On X, Paul also posted, “This is a pinch me moment. I got slapped by Mike Tyson.”

Last month, Tyson said, “If I don’t have to catch him, you can expect a Round 1 knockout. But I may have to catch him because I anticipate this guy running from me.”

Tyson weighed in at 228.4 pounds and Paul at 227.2, according to Netflix. 

Tyson weighed in at 233 pounds for his 2005 fight against Kevin McBride, according to ESPN.

Paul’s weight is a career-high. He came in at 200 pounds for his technical knockout victory against former UFC fighter Mike Perry on July 20, according to The Sporting News.

The Tyson-Paul fight was originally scheduled for that July date, but Tyson was swapped out for Perry due to an ulcer flare-up.