Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson has confessed that if he were 27, he wouldn’t even contemplate fighting a 58-year-old.

“Iron Mike” is set to return to the ring next month against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, with the bout scheduled for November 15 at the AT&T Arena in Arlington, Texas, potentially in front of a crowd of up to 90,000. The fight will be a heavyweight clash over eight two-minute rounds.

The pair were originally meant to face each other earlier this year, but Tyson, 58, had to withdraw due to an inflamed ulcer. His doctors advised him to halt training, but he has since returned to the gym and feels prepared to take on the 27-year-old.

Since the fight’s confirmation, many have expressed concern for Tyson’s health and criticised the 31-year age difference between the fighters.

Tyson’s last fight was an exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr in 2020, and the boxing legend hasn’t participated in a professional bout in nearly two decades. As for ‘The Problem Child,’ he knocked out former UFC fighter Mike Perry in his last fight in July.

With the age difference being a significant factor in the upcoming fight, Tyson recently took the opportunity to call out his future opponent. At a recent press conference, ‘Iron Mike’ was asked how the fight would unfold if he were 27 and Paul was 58, to which the American replied: “Well, I’d never fight a 58-year-old if I was 27.”

In a recent talkSPORT interview, Paul addressed the criticism surrounding his upcoming bout with Tyson. “First and foremost, I think it’s disrespectful to Mike, first and foremost,” he stated.

“And then I would say to them ‘Get in the ring with him’. If Mike wants to fight, then Mike wants to fight. If he wants to make it a pro fight then, ‘Okay! ‘ I wanna fight Mike Tyson, that’s legendary. It’s an honour to be in the ring with him, and if he wants the fight to be a pro fight then, ‘Okay, let’s do it’.

“You look at his training videos, look at him on the mitts, you look at him in person he has a 30lb weight advantage and is giant strong. So, people can say what they want about it, but they are still going to watch.

“I get the old guard and old people wanna see me lose. At the end of the day, that’s what makes this fight interesting, the two generations coming together. I think 30 years and older want Mike Tyson [to win], 25 and younger want me to win. That’s what makes it very interesting.”

With the bout mere weeks away, some supporters are sceptical about ‘Iron Mike’ and his commitment to the upcoming match. On Jimmy Kimmel’s show, Tyson revealed his rigorous regimen: “I am training extremely hard, I do six hours a day. I start at 11am and might leave the gym at 5pm.”