Mike Tyson gained attention from fans for several pre-fight antics ahead of his showdown with YouTuber Jake Paul on Friday night.
The former world heavyweight boxing champion will step into the ring with Paul at AT&T Stadium in Texas, despite the 31-year age gap between the pair.
Tyson’s brutal slap on Paul generated most of the attention at the weigh-in, leading to the 58-year-old having to be dragged away.
Fans, however, were quick to highlight more bizarre actions by Tyson during the weigh-in at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving.
Tyson had stepped on the scale wearing Versace pants and weighed 228.4 pounds.
He then surprised viewers by grabbing his crotch in front of the audience.
Mike Tyson shocked fans by making an X-rated gesture during his pre-fight weigh-in.
Tyson was seen grabbing his crotch while weighing in at Toyota Music Factory.
The 58-year-old shockingly slapped Jake Paul after the weigh-in in the run-up to their fight.
One claimed that Tyson’s X gesture had been overlooked due to the furore caused by his slap.
“All this talk about Mike Tyson slapping Jake Paul, without enough examination of the nutsack grip, Mike is one of a kind, no doubt,” said one fan.
Another wrote: “I know the slap is going viral but…” before adding laughing emojis in response to Tyson’s actions.
Some fans suggested the gesture was a sign of Tyson’s mindset heading into the fight.
They noted that Tyson had made a similar crotch-grabbing gesture before his heavyweight title fight with Lennox Lewis in 2002.
Tyson grabbed his crotch and began shouting profanities at someone in the crowd after a fight with Lewis and his entourage at a news conference 22 years ago.
‘What people don’t know: Mike Tyson has to be in a dangerous state of mind to do this. He’s no 20-year-old Mike Tyson, but his mindset in the ring hasn’t changed,” one fan wrote.
“Getting full Lewis Vs Tyson vibes,” another added, while a third simply wrote: “Classic Mike.”
Fans were quick to highlight Tyson’s X gesture in the lead-up to Friday’s fight.
Tyson’s decision to slap Paul attracted much of the attention, and it was claimed that the move was retaliation.
Paul appeared relatively unfazed by the blow while Tyson was pinned and made few comments before leaving the stage. That gave Paul a chance at the microphone to deliver his final message.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on stage, Paul told him: “Mike Tyson, it was a nice slap, but tomorrow you’re going to get knocked out.”
‘I’m fucking it up, I’m fucking it up! Hit like an idiot. It’s personal now, it’s personal now!
In a chilling finale, he delivered a three-word message: “He must die!”
Tyson, 58, had his last sanctioned professional fight 19 years ago despite competing in an exhibition with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.