Mike Tyson explains his side of viral Jake Paul slap

If Mike Tyson and Jake Paul were cordial before, they are not anymore. After Tyson virally slapped Paul at the event weigh-ins on Thursday night, the latter admitted that the incident made the fight personal.

After the event, Tyson explained his decision to slap his opponent in the face roughly 24 hours before they were scheduled to get into a ring and box.

“I was in my socks and he had on shoes,” Tyson said, via The New York Post. “He stepped on my toe because he is a f****** a**hole. I wanted to think it happened by accident. But now I think it may have happened on purpose. I was in a lot of pain. I had to reciprocate.”

MIKE TYSON JUST ROCKED JAKE PAUL IN THEIR FINAL FACE OFF 🤯 pic.twitter.com/XYYQRhNmkj

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) November 15, 2024

Immediately after the slap, Tyson was held back by on-stage security as Paul mocked him. The two were not allowed near each other again.

The exchange occurred during their final face-off to close out the event. After Paul exclaimed to host Ariel Helwani that Tyson “must die” for slapping him, ‘Iron' merely responded by saying that the “talking's over.”

Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul weigh-in results

Nov 14, 2024; Irving, TX, USA; Mike Tyson slaps Jake Paul after weighing in at the Toyota Music Factory. — Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Tyson slapping Paul was the highlight of the ceremonial weigh-ins but did not change the fact that the event was made official on the scales. Both main event fighters came in at nearly the exact same size. The ceremonial weigh-ins took place in the Toyota Music Factory, roughly 20 minutes away from the AT&T Stadium, where the fight card will commence.

All seven fights of Netflix's inaugural live boxing event were confirmed after the fighters all weighed in on point.