Mike Tyson Rips Today's Boxers in Video, 'They Should be Disappointed With Themselves'

Boxing legend Mike Tyson feels his record-setting fight against Jake Paul on Netflix in November 2024 should serve as motivation for the sport's rising stars.

During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday, Tyson ripped today's boxers for not being able to surpass his astronomical viewership numbers.

"Listen, this is what fighters should be thinking right now about me: 'How could this guy be 60 years old and break all the records?'" Tyson said. "They should be disappointed with themselves. How can this old cat come in here and break all the records?"

In the aftermath of Tyson's unanimous decision loss against Paul, Netflix announced that the fight was the most-streamed sporting event in history, with over 108 million viewers tuning in worldwide. The 59-year-old will have the opportunity to set more records when he meets fellow legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition match on April 25 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Tyson went on to criticize today's fighters for their lack of activity, which hurts the fans' ability to connect with them on a deeper level.

"They fight once or twice a year. No one knows who they are," he said. "They need to have a story behind them to have clientele watch them and people look up to them and follow them."

Tyson was asked if he feels the massive paydays being handed out have hindered boxers' desires to stay active with multiple fights a year, but he dismissed that notion.

"It's not that they're getting paid too much, it's just that they don't want to do it," he said. "Listen, if you like getting paid a lot of money, why not do that three times a year instead of one? If you're getting paid good for that one fight, why don't you do it three times this year? ... It's a no-lose situation."

Despite his age, Tyson made it clear that he's never lost his competitive spirit, which is why he takes pride in still being able to break records this late into his career.

"I'm competitive, I want to compete against people. I want to know who's the biggest draw in the history of the world," he said. "I want to see if anybody's bigger than me, and if they are, I'd tip my hat to them. But that's the kind of guy I am, I want to see who's better than me, who's bigger."

When asked if it's safe to say that he remains the biggest draw in the world, Tyson had a simple response.

"This is what I have to say: my talent speaks for itself," he said.