Mike Tyson recently confessed his body was 'sore' and 's**t' ahead of his fight with Jake Paul.
But Saudi Arabian chief Turki Alalshikh has pleaded for the 57-year-old to 'forget the script' and beat his upcoming opponent later this year.
Tyson and Paul held a press conference on Monday, with both men discussing their upcoming fight.
The boxing icon, when quizzed on how he feels as he prepares to return to the ring after a four-year absence, responded by saying: "I’m doing great, but my body is s**t right now, my body is sore.”
Please brother Mike, forget the script and beat this guy!🥊 pic.twitter.com/92im63iGyu
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) May 14, 2024
Some fans are now worried that Tyson could be out of his depth when he goes up against Paul, who is 30 years his junior.
And His Excellency Alalshikh has now pleaded with the American to get the better of Paul.
“Please, brother Mike, forget the script and beat this guy!" he wrote on X.
There are some fears that Tyson's upcoming battle with Paul could be scripted so that no big damage is done to either fighter.
But Paul, also writing on the social media site, insisted that wouldn't be the case.
“F*** the haters that are saying this is scripted," he said.
At the press conference, Paul also made his feelings clear on the matter and said he was eager to prove everybody wrong.
“People are doubting me," said the former YouTuber.
"I go onto the Instagram comments, and I see them all saying that if Jake Paul wins this fight, it’s rigged because of how incredible he [Tyson] looks.
"Age doesn’t matter, he’s been doing this his entire life,I’ve been doing this for four years and I’ve been doing it at a super high level.
"But on July 20th I’m going to prove that I can outbox Mike Tyson and prove everyone wrong."
Paul is a divisive figure in the sport, with some die-hard fans unhappy about former YouTubers taking part in boxing.
He has made a fine start to his career, however, winning nine of his 10 bouts - with a defeat to Tommy Fury last year the only blot on his record.
Tyson says he's impressed by what Paul has achieved.
Yet while the duo are 'friends', the boxing legend says they will put their feelings aside when they meet in Texas on July 20.
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Mike Tyson has been told to 'forget the script' ahead of his fight with Jake Paul later this year
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"This fight is very important," he said.
"Just the fact that he is taking the opportunity to fight me is mind-blowing … I'm very impressed with what he's accomplished.
"The people who said that [I am too old to fight] wish that they were up here. No one else can do this.
"Who else can do this? Who else can shut the sporting world down? No one else can do it.
"You got the both of us, so we're going to do this. We're friends. There's no doubt we're friends.
Mike Tyson has claimed he's friends with Jake Paul but those feelings are set to be set aside when they face off later this year
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"But in the ring, we're not going to be friends. That's just what it is.”
He added: “We're going to see, huh, [if Paul can take my power]. No, I'm not [trying to put an end to Paul]. I really like Jake a lot.
"But once he's in that ring, he has to fight like his life is depending on it, because it will be.
"This seems like it's going to be fun. Maybe we'll do it again, too [against someone else]. But can I take care of Jake first, please?"
