ARLINGTON, Texas — Iron Mike took the first shot. And that was 24 hours before the opening bell.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson, 58, and internet star Jake Paul, 27, squared off Thursday night for their weigh-in ahead of their massive Netflix-streamed fight at AT&T Stadium on Friday night. And as the two brash fighters stood nose to nose, Tyson took his right hand and slapped Paul across the face.
Security pushed Tyson away, as Paul -- to his credit -- seemed unfazed, tapping his cheek as he stared back at Tyson. Paul then started laughing as he faced the crowd.
“The talk is over,” said a 228-pound Tyson as the event came to its rather abrupt end in the wake of his slap.
Before storming off stage, the 227-pound Paul screamed his own perspective on the matter into the microphone: "Now, it's personal."
Now whether there's actual animosity between the two, or if they're just playing it up for the drama of the event...well, maybe we'll see Friday night.
But the trash talk started earlier in the week during Wednesday's pre-fight press conference.
Paul offered up a stark prediction: "He’s going to look nice when he is on the mat and I am standing over him."
His iconic opponent, meanwhile, offered up some advice: "Be in good shape," Tyson said, "because your health depends on it."
While Paul is still relatively new to the sport, the one-time social media influencer is bringing to the match a 10-1 record with seven knockouts -- mostly against mixed martial artists and journeymen boxers. And then there's Tyson, who was 50-6 with 44 knockouts when he retired after losing to Kevin McBride in 2005, saying he didn't have anything left to give the sport. He last fought in an exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. with no fans during the pandemic in 2020.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.