Tony Bellew reacts after being kicked out of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson press conference: "Fighting a grandfather"
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are set to go to war in the squared circle on Nov. 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. But with a 31-year age gap between the fighters, the event has garnered a lot of scrutiny.
'The Problem Child' has been criticized in the past for choosing to fight aging combat sports legends who are well past their prime, instead of fighting actual boxers who were closer in age to the 27-year old Paul.
His pending clash with Tyson is the most notable example of this criticism. During the recently-held press conference ahead of the fight, Tony Bellew interrupted proceedings to offer the former Disney star his next opponent.
The former cruiserweight world champion could be seen next to an elderly gentleman named Norman, who according to Bellew was the opponent he had in mind.
After briefly getting ahold of a microphone, the Scouser was then escorted from the press conference. He was then interviewed by iFL TV outside the event, where Bellew reflected on what unfolded, saying this:
"I just needed to [let it be] known that Jake Paul is fighting a grandfather and if he loses to a grandfather he's gonna need a comeback opponent. I've got Norman, Norman's a great grandfather, he's got two new hips, and he's ready to rock and roll. He's the champion of the care-home. Jake's going down that path, why not just fight someone like Norman?"
Catch Tony Bellew's comments ahead of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson below (0:27):
Mike Tyson addresses concerns surrounding Jake Paul bout
When he faces Jake Paul, Mike Tyson will be making a return to professional boxing for the first time since 2005. The former heavyweight champion has competed twice since his professional retirement, but both those bouts were exhibition fights.
His most recent exhibition bout came against fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. in 2020. Ahead of his return to pro boxing, Tyson was interviewed by Manouk Akopyan, where the 58-year old addressed concerns regarding his upcoming clash. He said this:
"Thank you very much for being concerned. But I am fighting. I’m going to be okay... I was a different person then. I was using narcotics, alcohol back then. I’m not that person anymore... I’ve got the rounds in me... I’m sparring young guys and they’re hitting me real hard. It wasn’t a picnic when I first started training."
Catch Mike Tyson's comments ahead of Jake Paul fight below (1:30):