Video: Mike Tyson Talks Jake Paul Boxing Fight, Says it's 'What the World Needs'

Boxing legend Mike Tyson asserted his upcoming fight achieves a larger purpose beyond enriching all of those involved.

"This is beautiful," he said at the 3:50 mark in Tuesday's episode of Impaulsive. "This is what the world needs. I know it sounds crazy, but this is what the world really needs right now."

Tyson pointed to the attention he and Paul have generated behind their Nov. 15 matchup.

The two were originally supposed to square off in July before Tyson had to withdraw for health reasons. Mike Perry filled in on short notice and lost to Paul via TKO in the sixth round.

Tyson is right in that Paul identified a niche in the boxing market he could fill. What started as mild curiosity when he knocked out former NBA guard Nate Robinson in 2020 steadily grew as the 27-year-old showed he took the venture very seriously.

In Tyson, Paul has his most star-studded foe from the combat sports realm. While "Iron Mike" hasn't stepped in the ring since 2005, he has more name recognition than almost anyone else in the sport.

Put Tyson and Paul together and you have the formula for a possible box-office blockbuster, with the latter asserting he's going to pocket $40 million.

However, there are some signs pointing to either waning enthusiasm toward Paul's exploits or things having already plateaued.

Boxing insider Dan Rafael reported his August 2023 win over Nate Diaz drew more than 450,000 pay-per-view buys, which was below what Paul said his loss to Tommy Fury generated earlier that year. Both were an improvement from his 2022 win over Anderson Silva and right around the number from his first meeting with Tyron Woodley in 2021.

On the live gate front, Most Valuable Promotions boasted of the early ticket sales for Paul vs. Tyson, but the delay may have had an adverse impact. Ticket prices are reportedly dipping from where they had been earlier in the summer.

Tyson was clearly exaggerating with his comments about the importance of his encounter with Paul, but he can expect to receive some mockery if this proves to be a commercial disappointment.