There’s been an uneasy feeling about Mike Tyson coming out of a two-decade-long retirement to fight Jake Paul at the age of 58.

The "Baddest Man on the Planet” wants you to rest easy, however, even after a scary ulcer flare-up postponed his originally planned July 20 date to November 15. 

On Friday, the fight will finally hit the road at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Netflix with custom rules: eight, two-minute rounds and with 14-ounce gloves. 

“Thank you very much for being concerned, but I’m fighting and I'm going to be OK,” Tyson told BoxingScene in an interview. “What am I worried about? There is nothing I can think of, or nothing that I am contemplating.

“I was born to do this. I was built for this stuff. I was born to sell out stadiums. This is what I always wanted to do my entire life.”

Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs), once the youngest heavyweight champion of all time, last fought professionally in 2005 and retired after getting knocked out by journeyman Kevin McBride. 

“Times change,” said Tyson. “I was a different person then. I was using narcotics and alcohol back then. I’m not that person anymore. I see a better picture of myself. I see light. I see the world from a different perspective now. It’s time for me to come back. I did the Roy Jones exhibition and now I want to fight again.

“Cus D'mato would be so happy that I’m doing this and proving to the world that age is nothing but a number.”

Tyson tasked himself to test his titanium spirit against the YouTuber-turned-knockout artist Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) after putting the content creator on his undercard during the Jones event in 2020. 

"Iron" Mike warned the 27-year-old to take their fight “very seriously.” 

“He's good enough to get to the level to fight me,” said Tyson. “My intentions are to go in there, fight hard, and hurt him.” 

One of the most devastating knockout artists in boxing history promised an electric fight for as long as it lasts. 

“[I’m coming out in the first round] like a rocket,” said Tyson. “I'm going the distance every day in the gym. I'm prepared. I'm in condition.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on , , and , through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via .