Mike Tyson Talks Jake Paul, Possible Next Boxing Fight, WWE and More in B/R Interview

Nearly six months removed from his record-breaking fight against Jake Paul on Netflix, Mike Tyson admits that he has mixed feelings about his return to the ring.

On one hand, the legendary heavyweight questioned why he fought for the first time since 2020 against someone 31 years younger than him, but on the other, he takes pride in knowing that he can still perform in front of a sell-out crowd and record-setting streaming audience at 58 years old.

"The day after, I asked my wife, 'Why did I do that?'" Tyson told B/R in an interview. "I don't know, I just did it because I'm always out of my comfort zone. I'm never in my comfort zone, I'm never in a place where I'm saying, 'Hey, this is it, I'm in my duration of life.' No, I'm always gonna push the level, man, I'm that kind of guy. I might jump off a 15-story building one day, you never know, see if I can fly. I just like to push myself, that's the only way I live."

Tyson faced Paul on Nov. 15 in front of over 72,300 fans at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. The fight generated $18.1 million in total revenue, setting a record for the highest-grossing combat sports event outside of Las Vegas. Netflix also announced that the fight was the most-streamed sporting event in history, with over 108 million viewers tuning in around the world. Tyson lost the fight by unanimous decision, but he took home a reported $20 million fight purse.

"Remember that other guy, he said, 'I'm not watching that Tyson fight, I'm only watching Katie Taylor fight,'" Tyson said, referring to promoter Eddie Hearn's pre-fight comments. "Tell him thanks for not watching me, we still broke all the records. (laughs) 'I'm not watching that fight, it's a circus.' I guess the majority of people enjoy the circus."

Tyson didn't rule out a future fight but said he's in no rush to return to the ring again anytime soon.

"Everything is possible, but I'm having a good time right now just chilling. I'm just having fun boxing with my accountant now," he said, later adding, "The fact is, hey, if somebody breaks my record, I might come back."

Perhaps another appearance in WWE to follow up his iconic 1998 run with the company could be on the table during his time away from the boxing ring?

"Oh God, I would love to do that, that's me at my childhood best, I had a great time," Tyson said. When asked if there were any wrestlers he wants to work with in particular, he replied, "Shoot, all of them, let's get a Battle Royal."

Staying active is why Tyson partnered with Dr. Squatch to trade in his "Iron Mike" moniker and adopt the persona of "Moisture Mike" with the help of the new, all-natural, ultra-hydrating Total Moisture Collection, which is designed to help men take care of their sensitive skin. He said he's relied on the products following his workouts and during his busy travel schedule, and he hopes to help show the importance of self-care.

"I normally have problems with long-lasting deodorant, it doesn't really last a long duration of time. The stuff I got from Dr. Squatch now is thicker and grabs to the substance of my flesh, and I'm lasting all day," Tyson said, noting that Shea Butter is his favorite soap in the collection and Rainforest Rapids is another one of his favorite scents. "... It's the way to go. For all the funky people, Dr. Squatch."

Tyson also spoke about the ever-shifting landscape of boxing, particularly in the heavyweight division that he ruled over as undisputed champion from 1987 to 1990. Current undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk is ushering in a new era as veterans like Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder near the end of their careers. Tyson called out the lack of major stars in boxing and partly attributed it to the trend of fighting less frequently.

"Usyk is the king, and that's basically all that matters in boxing. Usyk, Tank, Canelo, those are the only guys who are gonna draw people. ... Definitely Terence Crawford, but there's very few people you can mention their names in arenas sold out," Tyson said. "... The fact is that fighting is always gonna continue to change and evolve. Maybe it may evolve into laziness, that's what we're seeing now, not much activity is going on."

When asked how he'd fare in the current boxing climate if he were in his prime, Tyson humbly answered, "As a fighter, all fighters say they're gonna do well, [but] these guys are pretty big and awkward. Listen, Usyk is not a big guy and he's handling these guys, so I think I would do well, too."

Tyson railed against the International Olympic Committee's consideration to remove boxing from the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, saying it would be a "big loss" for the sport. Still, he admitted that boxing is being "ignored" because most fighters are struggling to reach the superstar level that he and those who came before him achieved.

"Boxing is going back to what it started out to be in the doldrums where people were coming out the gutter, fighting any kind of way," he said. "They're not fighting enough, and it's just like, going back to the old days where people weren't really fighters, just coming out the bar and fighting somebody. It has to be exciting again, boxing has to be, when you mention a match, the whole world is talking about it, it's on everybody's lips. That's what fighters do."

One of the fighters who did that was the legendary George Foreman, who died at the age of 76 on Friday. Tyson paid his respects to Foreman as someone who "just contributed so much to boxing, he can never be forgotten in our particular field." He added that the pioneer's notorious punching power likely will never be duplicated.

"I don't see many people, not even myself. George Foreman, he could just club you and crush your skull," Tyson said. "He was just an amazing powerhouse, and that's just keeping it 100, you're not gonna see [another like him]."

Tyson said he feels that the solution for boxing's problems lies at the amateur level, suggesting, "Bigger amateur organizations, we have to get these young kids started as young as possible. We lost the amateur influence in boxing, there's no more amateur shows."

The legend is doing his part to give back to the next generation, as he recently partnered with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh to open Mike Tyson Boxing Club in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"I was a little apprehensive at first, but I went and visited, and it was interesting. I was proud of what they had going there and how the children were continuing to learn. It was interesting, I thought it was exciting," Tyson said.

When asked if he had any advice for how an up-and-coming boxer could reach his level of stardom one day, Tyson said the work starts outside of the ring.

"I would let them know, in the journey of being the best in the world in anything… there's gonna be disappointments," he said. "Understand how to handle your disappointments correctly, and your life will be better. And not necessarily in boxing, but in life. Don't be afraid to make amends to people. Life is about being comfortable with you. Being comfortable with yourself, enjoying yourself, and that comes from giving amends, accepting amends, being generous, accepting generosity. It all comes with loving yourself, and by loving yourself, you love so many other people in return."