The first to take the stage were three men, dressed in high-visibility blouses and hats. They overturned buckets, turned them into drums, and beat them, even after the formalities had begun.
Then came a second trio: one man playing a trombone, another playing a bongo, and another ringing a bell. Then came a solo violinist. Then, a quartet of fighters who treated us to another interpretation of clichés: the familiar soundtrack of boxing events like this one.
After Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor fell silent, the stage was turned over to reporters. Someone asked Serrano, seven-weight world champion, where she was going to put the extra kilos she can carry at super lightweight. Oh really.
And then, eventually, this turned into an open mic night: the crowd packed into the Apollo Theater in Harlem was invited to steal the show. One fan didn’t need a second invitation.
He was a young boxer from around these parts. He’s just a teenager. He stepped up to the microphone and offered an R-rated endorsement to the wrestlers. He then asked – in less polite terms – which of Tyson or Paul had slept with more women. Apparently that was the turning point.
Mike Tyson seemed at times bewildered by the chaos of his Jake Paul press conference.
Tyson and Paul faced off for the first time Monday at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
Tyson will be 58 years old when he fights 27-year-old Jake Paul in Dallas, Texas, on July 28.
Paul blushed and leaned back in his chair. The athlete was stunned into silence; Soon Tyson was forced to speak. “I can’t believe we’re at a press conference,” he said.
Yes, Mike Tyson was surprised when he spoke. The same Mike Tyson whose life has oscillated, for long periods, between chaos and carnage. The same Mike Tyson who bit off one opponent’s ear and threatened to eat another’s babies.
He now finds himself in a more serene place, sitting in mounds of greenery, having built a cannabis empire that has replenished much of the $400 million he won and then lost in boxing. But still, what does it say about this circus that he was the voice of reason?
What does it say about boxing that this crazy spectacle was relatively mundane compared to Monday’s premiere of the first undisputed heavyweight title fight in 25 years?
In Saudi Arabia, John Fury headbutted someone before his son’s fight. Here in Harlem, a 27-year-old man received some funny jabs in the kidney from a man old enough to be his father.
There aren’t many things that make sense anymore. Not that people here cared. Apparently, one had been queuing since 6 in the morning. Everyone roared in approval as Tyson and Paul talked about their July 20 meeting in Dallas.
Netflix will stream the fight to its 270 million subscribers. More than 120,000 have registered for tickets, which go on sale this week. Some will pay up to $2 million for a VIP package that includes locker room access and ring seats.
Never mind that Tyson hasn’t fought professionally for nearly two decades. Never mind that by fight night, 31 years will separate the two fighters. Never mind that many people, including Deontay Wilder, have raised alarm bells of concern for Tyson’s health.
The two fighters photographed facing off during a bizarre press conference on Monday.
Tyson has dismissed concerns that he is too old to return to the ring.
‘People who say that wish they were up here. Because no one else can do this,” said the 57-year-old. “No one else can shut down the world of sports.”
It is true that few athletes can cast a spell like Tyson. Even at this age. Even when he fights a YouTuber turned boxer with 10 fights to his name in a sanctioned boxing match.
There’s a reason why Netflix has chosen this event as its path to live sports streaming. Sports fans will always be seduced by icons and intrigue. Even Katie Taylor, one of the most decorated fighters of the modern era, became a fan as she sat next to Tyson on stage.
“I’m pinching myself,” she said before posing for selfies. “I feel truly honored to be on this card,” Serrano added. It was all quite strange. The surest sign that something was wrong? In fact, the press conference started on time.
Around the corner from the Apollo Theater, there is a mural painted on the walls of Harlem. It features LeBron James, Simone Biles, Malcolm X, Serena Williams and Muhammad Ali. They seem to be sharing wisdom with the young people.
The 57-year-old pictured arriving in New York as preparation for the fight intensifies.
A few feet away, instead of passing the torch, two generations came together to burn down AT&T Stadium on July 20. Many will never tolerate it. Many will struggle to understand this new era of carefully curated content and chaos.
Even Tyson seems a little perplexed by what he’s gotten himself into.
“Forgive me, I’m an old man, this is new,” he said at one point. He was particularly puzzled by that foul-mouthed fan. ‘Where’s your mother?’ he asked the young man. Not here, apparently. But will she arrive on July 20? She’ll probably be watching too.