Mike Tyson launches into X-rated defence of age gap in Jake Paul fight

Former undisputed heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson claims he doesn't believe he's 58 as he launched a scathing defence of the age gap between himself and Jake Paul.

Both Paul and Tyson are scheduled to go toe-to-toe on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Texas in front of up to 90,000 fans. The pair were due to face off back in July, but 'Iron Mike' was forced to withdraw from the bout due to medical issues. Instead, Paul took on late replacement Mike Perry – a former UFC star turned bare-knuckle boxer.

The 'Problem Child' ultimately bested Perry via a sixth-round TKO after peppering his opponent with heavy body shots from the opening bell, notching his record up to 10-1 in the squared-circle. While Tyson was forced to withdraw from the heavyweight contest, he has recently returned to the gym and insists he will be fit to make the walk to the ring later this month in Texas.

Since the fight was rebooked, many within the boxing community have slammed the decision to go ahead with the event. Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn famously said he will leave the arena after Katie Taylor's clash with Amanda Serrano. ''We received a massive offer for Katie. I'm not going to tell her she's not allowed to fight on that card," he told BBC Sport. "Financially it's the biggest purse of her career. I won't be watching the main event. We'll be there defending the belts, and then I'll be off".

While many have feared for Tyson's health ahead of the bout due to the large age gap between the two opponents, 'Iron Mike' himself has launched an epic rant, clapping back at the negative noise. In an interview with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, the American didn't hold back, saying: "Well, first of all, you don't know how old you are. Somebody told you how old you are. Julius Caesar had a big ego, he wanted an extra month so he said 'I'm going to create July'. So really, how old are you? These people are creating months and years to make people a certain particular age, you don't really know how old you are. I don't know how old I am.

"People design their own calendar, so we don't know how old we are. We know what people tell us how old we are. We know what people tell us what age we should be retired by this age. That's what they tell us! Our man's biggest downfall is to believe we have limitations and that's what we do, we believe we're a certain amount of age".

Tyson - who is regarded as one of the best fighters to ever compete in the heavyweight division - claimed he doesn't 'think' he's 58 and is enjoying going toe-to-toe with the younger athletes in the gym, adding: "I don't think I'm 58. Do you think I feel 58 when I'm fighting these young n****** in the gym, and they're bashing me them big strong mother*******, and I'm bashing them back. You think I feel 58? You think they're not trying to hurt me in that gym so they can get a reputation.... young 30, 28 year old mother*******. No, they're getting nothing".

Last month, the heavyweight icon once again laughed off concerns regarding the age gap, saying: “He’s supposed to be the young guy, I’m supposed to be the old man, he’s going to run all…night? I think he should try it. He’s a younger man, he should be able to handle punches from an old withering man like me. Listen, you can’t compare me with other people my age because other people my age haven’t been training as long, consistently as me.

“I’m just a different species of human being, I think because I’m very active in what I do. I don’t sit around and do nothing, I’m very active in what I do and I’m very serious about what I do. I’m just so interested and I can’t wait for the evening to happen. It’s going to be a wonderful evening, the city of Dallas is going to be entertained".