The Friday night fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul just went to another level as the former heavyweight champion slapped his opponent.
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The moment occurred Thursday night during the final staredown. Tyson stood at one side of the stage as Paul crawled his way to the staredown. Once Paul stood upright, Tyson slapped him in the face.
Several bystanders rushed in and moved Tyson back while Paul stood in place tapping his lips.
Mike Tyson slaps Jake Paul pic.twitter.com/MGZqkHtR3W
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 15, 2024
The slap seemingly came out of nowhere, but another angle of the incident provided more context. Up-close footage from the front of the stage showed Paul stepping on Tyson's foot as he came out of his crawl. The retired boxer had only socks covering his feet while Paul had on white shoes.
This slap is not the first example of the friction between the 58-year-old Tyson and the 27-year-old Paul. The pair have made comments on social media over the months as Friday night's sanctioned match approached.
"I idolized Mike Tyson until the first time I met him 4 years ago...he called me Logan," Paul posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in March. "Going to make sure he knows who I am real close and personal."
Tyson provided multiple comments while posting videos of his training. He showed his speed while saying "I'm coming for you." He then took a shot at his opponent after an ulcer flare-up pushed the fight from July to November.
"Now feeling 100% even though I don't need to be to beat Jake Paul," he posted in May.
The intensity has only increased as the fight has approached. The slap on Thursday night is only the latest example.
Of course, the time for talking and posting on social media is over. Now it's time to don the gloves and face off in the ring.
This battle will take place Friday night on Netflix. The main card will begin at 8 p.m. ET. The main event ring walks will begin at approximately 11 p.m. ET.
