Mike Tyson has been branded 'sad' for his upcoming fight against Jake Paul, which has been marred by controversy.
The 58-year-old will return to the boxing ring for his first professional clash since 2005 when he faces YouTube sensation Paul on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Many have been shocked by the fact that the former world heavyweight champion will face the 27-year-old - 31 years younger than him - including British rising prospect Ben Whittaker.
Whittaker has been making a name for himself, renowned for his showboating in the ring which has gone viral, while he counts Tyson as one of his heroes.
Mike Tyson will fight Jake Paul on November 15
GETTY
But the 27-year-old has been left stunned by Iron Mike's decision to return to boxing, though did admit that the pay packet must be worth it.
Speaking to InstantCasino.com, Whittaker said: “It’s one of those things, it’s sad but he’s not getting forced. That’s how I see it.
"If he was getting forced to put him in handcuffs and threw him in the ring, and Jake was just teeing off on him, I’d go, what’s going on here?
"But at the end of the day, he signed up himself, he must be getting paid well enough to get in there and he knows what he’s signing up for.
"But looking at it from an outside eye, Mike Tyson’s a legend.
“You don’t really want to see him get beat up by a YouTuber, you’ll never hear the end of it.
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"But at the end of the day, like I said, he’s put himself in that position and hopefully he can come out with the win.”
Tyson returned to the ring for an exhibition clash against Roy Jones Jr, 51 at the time, in 2020 which became a huge event, though it ended in a draw with both fighters exhausted.
Facing Paul is a whole different prospect with the fight being marked as a professional bout with heavier gloves than normal.
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Mike Tyson had a health scare earlier in the year
Reuters
The original fight was postponed from July 20 after Tyson suffered a health scare.
But the veteran superstar is not backing down ahead of the clash and wants to prove that age is just a number.
"I want to change biology, I want to change the way people think about age," he said.
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Jake Paul will face Mike Tyson on November 15
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"People think that as you get older you become weaker, you become less physically active at a high level.
"It's all psychological. If you believe you feel bad and you feel old - then you feel bad and old.
"If you believe feel great, you feel great. It's all about what we see about ourselves."
