'I'll be dead soon' – Mike Tyson dismisses boxing legacy ahead of Jake Paul fight

Mike Tyson has insisted he has no interest in what his fight with Jake Paul could do to his boxing legacy. The two-time heavyweight world champion makes his remarkable return to the ring aged 58 on Friday.

He’ll add a 59th fight to his professional career, which appeared to have ended nearly 20 years ago, against 27-year-old Paul. That age gap has sparked widespread backlash towards the bout, particularly from those who fear Tyson could be made a mockery of.

But the man himself doesn’t care about the potential of his legendary reputation being tarnished as he’s “going to be dead soon” regardless. He told Interview Magazine: “What do I care about my legacy?

“I never knew what a legacy was and people started throwing that word around so loosely. A legacy sounds like ego to me. I’m going to be dead soon.

“Who cares what somebody is going to think about me when I’m dead? We don’t talk about Charles Manson. No one cares about nobody when they’re dead and gone.”

With Tyson estimated to be earning a guaranteed £15.4million ($20m) from the fight, many may assume he’s been financially motivated to lace up his gloves again. But Iron Mike explained at Tuesday’s open workout that there’s another factor at play.

He wants to show his seven children what their dad does best, particularly 16-year-old daughter Milan. "She saw me on television fight with Roy Jones [in 2020], but she has never seen anything of this magnitude in her life," Tyson said.

"My kids don't really think of me as the baddest man on the planet. They look at me as dad [and tell me] sit your old a** down. But on November 15, they will have a different opinion of me."

Tyson is the underdog for the pro contest, which is set for eight two-minute rounds, heading into fight night at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. A crowd of up to 80,000 are expected to be in attendance, with millions tuning in to watch the spectacle on Netflix.