- Tyson returns to professional boxing after almost 20 years away from the sport
- He slapped Paul in Dallas during weigh-in for allegedly ‘stepping on his toe’
- The incident led to a large number of Paddy Power users accumulating money on a particular bet of 8/1
Bookmaker Paddy Power fears the biggest boxing payout in its 36-year history after scores of punters pooled their money in the same market for the big fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
‘Iron Mike’, undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990, will make a long-awaited return to professional boxing in his fight against the YouTuber-turned-boxer in Arlington, Texas, in the early hours of Saturday morning (GMT).
The fight was postponed from its original date in July when a stomach ulcer outbreak while on a plane forced Tyson, 58, to delay the fight.
After a fairly quiet build-up, things came to life at Thursday night’s weigh-in after the former champion slapped ‘Problem Child’ Paul, 27, in the face, allegedly for ‘standing on his foot.’
While the pre-fight fireworks seemed histrionic, thousands of eagle-eyed spectators spotted a trend they believe could develop in the fight and decided to bet on it.
The hard slap, which appeared to twist Paul’s neck, has led many to believe that Tyson will do the same in the actual fight with a host of betters now backing him to take down his opponent in the first round.
Paddy Power has had a wave of bets on Mike Tyson knocking down Jake Paul in the first round.
Punters were motivated to participate by the former champion’s slap at the YouTuber last night
Tyson and Paul had stepped on the scale just 24 hours before meeting in the ring in Texas
The market is believed to have been fairly quiet until the chaos of the weigh-in, at which point fight fans wanting a flutter decided to make the most of the 8/1 and put some money into the pick.
To further sweeten the deal, many of the backers are using a £1 free bet offer available at Paddy Power to mitigate the risk.
The bookmakers said: “Our operators could see nothing but a win for Jake Paul in the build-up – surprisingly, given he is half his age – and he remains our overwhelming favorite to win the contest itself.
“But Grandpa Mike’s slap seems to have given fans and our bettors some hope that he still has the fire in his belly.”
‘We are giving away a free bet on the fight and all our customers make the same bet, which is always a big concern, while they also make the same selection with their own money.
“Needless to say, I’ll feel like I’ve been slapped if Jake falls to the canvas in the first round in Dallas.”
It’s unclear exactly how many people have invested money in the first-round knockdown, but it’s believed it would comfortably be the biggest boxing payout in the brand’s history.
After the dramatic weigh-in, Tyson’s former training partner turned politician Tom Patti revealed the reason why the 58-year-old lashed out at Paul.
Paul accused of ‘disrespect’ and being a ‘staggering animal’ for crawling to Tyson
‘Iron Mike’ was the undisputed world heavyweight champion for three years, from 1987 to 1990.
The American last fought professionally in a loss against Kevin McBride in June 2005.
“Jake stepped on Mike’s foot and that caused the reaction,” said Patti, one of Tyson’s longtime friends. USA today.
“I was there and Mike just told me. My personal opinion is that Jake shows enough disrespect to start crawling towards Mike and then jump in front of him… like some kind of staggering animal. Mike tells him put in its place.
The footage appears to back up Patti’s comments with Paul, who was wearing sneakers, seen landing on the top of Tyson’s right foot before the confrontation.
Tyson, meanwhile, said: “I was in socks and he had shoes on, he stepped on my toe because he’s a fucking prick.” I felt a lot of pain. I had to reciprocate.’
Paddy Power’s legions of punters will be hoping the former heavyweight champion repeats the move in the first round of Friday night’s fight.