Jake Paul's mother 'very scared' for son after watching Mike Tyson training footage

28/08/2024 14:06

Jake Paul’s mother is terrified at the prospect of her son duking out with Mike Tyson.

‘The Problem Child’ is set to face Tyson on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in a professional heavyweight contest.

They were initially scheduled to square off on July 20 but their fight got postponed by four months after ‘Iron Mike’ was deemed medically unfit to compete this summer following an ulcer flare up.

Tyson’s recent illness combined with the staggering 31 year age difference between the pair has led several members of the boxing fraternity to raise concerns about the potential health implications he faces in taking the fight.

The former undisputed heavyweight champion is 58 years old while Paul is in his physical prime at 27 – although you wouldn’t believe Tyson was a middle-aged man when watching his recent training footage.

Tyson has uploaded several videos to social media of him hammering the pads with the kind of speed and precision one would expect from a pro boxer in their 20s.

Most of these clips are five second snippets and we are yet to see how Tyson looks over a two minute round, which would give a much better idea of the kind of condition he is in.

However, it’s enough to have Paul’s mum, Pam Stepnick, fearing for her son’s health – even if it won’t stop her from attending the Netflix showdown with Paul’s girlfriend Jutta Leerdam.

“They will definitely be there,” said Paul at a Washington DC PFL press event that talkSPORT.com attended.

“But my mum is very scared actually. She keeps on asking me if I’m ready, asking my team if I’m if I’m ready and she’s not liking this one.

“Mike just looks scary and big… his Instagram videos look crazy. So she’s like watching all of that and just not liking it.”

Paul is set to pocket $40m (£31m) for his upcoming clash with Tyson, taking his overall earnings in boxing up to around $100m (£75.8m).

This is a staggering achievement for a YouTuber who only turned over as a professional boxer four years ago.

“Not bad at all, man, I can’t believe it,” Paul added of his career earnings.

“I’ve already exceeded all my own expectations in life and boxing and everything.

“So whatever happens next is just gravy and I’m just having fun with it and trying to inspire other kids because I’m literally from Ohio.

“Middle of this town grew up with a blue collar family and didn’t know what any of this world is.

“And so it really shows like if you want to do something, you just gotta go for it.”