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When Mike Tyson slapped Jake Paul at the ceremonial weigh-ins, it shocked everyone, including the parties involved. Tyson later said that he only did it because Paul was stepping on his foot but that did not stop fans from coming up with conspiracy theories.
Fans on social media claimed the stunt was fake and a marketing move by Tyson to promote the fight. However, MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, who was on stage with the two fighters when the slap occurred, quickly shut down the rumor.
“[Mike Tyson] may be 58, but that demon, that beast never goes away,” Helwani said on The Dan Patrick Show. “When Jake walked up to him like that — and, as we found out later, stepped on his toe — that guy comes back. He cannot control it. That was not scripted, that was not fake. The look on his face as I was trying to interview him afterward, I have never seen that look on a human being's face before.”
"That was the 1990's version of Mike. He may be 58, but that demon, that beast never goes away and when Jake walks up to him, and as we found out late steps on his toe, that guy comes back. He can't control it. That was not scripted, that was not fake."
–@ArielHelwani on Tyson pic.twitter.com/V96xLUvB1x
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) November 15, 2024
Helwani referenced Tyson claiming that his vicious alter-ego that turned him into a heavyweight champion is back for this fight. Tyson went viral in the weeks leading up to the event when he called Paul a “manufactured killer” as opposed to himself being a “natural-born killer” in a promotional video.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul's weigh-in comments after the slap
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After Mike Tyson slapped Jake Paul, the tensions unsurprisingly rose on both sides. Tyson had to be held back by security on stage while Paul kept himself in check before unloading on his opponent on the microphone. Tyson later revealed that he slapped Paul because his opponent stepped on his foot, but that did not seem to matter in the moment to either man.
Once Helwani gave Paul the opportunity to give his final thoughts, ‘The Problem Child' declared that Tyson made the fight “personal” with the slap. The 27-year-old then passionately said that Tyson must “die.”
“He's an angry little elf,” Paul said. “Mike Tyson thought that was a cute slap but tomorrow he's getting knocked the f*** out. I'm f****** him up, Ariel. I'm f****** him up! He hits like a b****. It's personal now. He must die!”
Tyson chose not to respond once Helwani turned to him. Instead, the former unified heavyweight champion said that the talking is “over,” implying that he is just counting down the hours until fight time.
