Mike Tyson has slammed those criticizing his upcoming fight with Jake Paul.

Tyson will enter the ring for the first time since he took on Roy Jones Jr. in a 2020 exhibition. Iron Mike faces off against Paul on July 20, a bout which will air live on Netflix. For safety reasons, much has been said about whether the fight should go ahead. Tyson will be 58 when July comes around, while Paul is 28.

The Problem Child has been the more active fighter, securing two KOs in his last two fights. Reports indicate the fight may not get sanctioned as a pro-fight. Oscar De La Hoya felt the fight did nothing to help Paul’s ambitions of becoming a world champion.

Meanwhile, Eddie Hearn was on record stating it was ‘sad’ for hardcore boxing. However, both fighters will allegedly earn purses of over $20 million. Tyson hit out at those questioning the fight, accusing them of jealousy.

Tyson Reacts

“I’’m 58 and what? I’m getting billions of views from just talking to somebody about fighting. Everybody, even most of the athletes, they’re jealous. That’s whack. … I say in your prime you couldn’t draw a million people, man. What are you talking – you couldn’t sell out an arena. Who at 58 could sell out an 80,000-seat arena?”

“Why do you think he wants to fight me and not anybody else? Everybody wants to fight him – all the boxers want to fight him. But if he fought them, the only people that will come are the people that like him. The other guys, their parents might not even come watch them. That’s just keeping it real. They’re too boring for their children to watch. It’s like watching grass grow,” Tyson said

The fight will do well based on Paul and Tyson’s recent PPV sales. The Problem Child sold over 800,000 PPVs for the Tommy Fury fight. He also managed to generate 450,000 buys for the Nate Diaz bout. Tyson’s fight with Roy Jones did over a million PPV sales. Those figures show that both fighters can apparel to the casual fanbase.

Canelo Reacts

Since it will air on Netflix, there is a chance it will bring in a massive audience. Canelo Alvarez did react to the bout, downplaying its significance. His comments came after Tyson had criticized him for not fighting David Benavidez. The Mexican Monster has been the WBC Super Middleweight Interim Champion for over two years.

However, the fight looks no closer to being made. Alvarez will face Jamie Munguia on May 4 as he defends his Undisputed Super Middleweight Title. That has created the narrative that Canelo is ducking The Mexican Monster. But when Canelo was asked about Paul vs Tyson, this is what he had to say.

“Maybe in two years we can talk [about me against Jake Paul]. Not at all [I have no interest in Paul vs Tyson] .I think it’s more show than a fight,” Canelo stated