Jake Paul opens up on taking drug before Mike Tyson fight and vision | Boxing | Sport

Jake Paul has revealed how he first envisioned fighting Mike Tyson while under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug on a spiritual trip.

The YouTuber will take on boxing icon Tyson in their rescheduled fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on November 15.

He is facing former heavyweight champion Tyson, who is 31 years his senior, in a clash that has been celebrated and criticised in equal measure due to their huge age difference. It was initially slated to take place in July before it was delayed by four months on medical grounds.

It will be the biggest fight of Paul’s career as he carries a 10-1 record into the bout. The 27-year-old’s only previous defeat came against Tommy Fury in 2023 after losing by technical decision.

In the build-up to the highly-anticipated fight between the pair, Paul was interviewed as part of the mini docu-series ‘Countdown: Paul vs Tyson’ produced by Netflix, who are broadcasting the contest.

And the Cleveland native reached out to ‘Iron Mike’ the day after he participated in a Ayahuasca ceremony in Costa Rica in 2022, which he claims inspired him to challenge the American fighter.

“About two and a half years ago now, I went to Costa Rica for my first Ayahuasca ceremony. I wanted to uncover things about myself,” Paul said.

“One of the craziest things was the vision I had of me and Mike Tyson fighting each other. It was as if it had already happened or something. It could have been in the future, as though it was going to happen, but that was the feeling and the vision I got from Ayahuasca.

“It showed me the millions of kids watching the fight through their TVs and devices. It showed the butterfly effect of what that created for the sport of boxing.

“So, the next day I got in contact with Mike and he was like ‘yeah Jake, I love this idea, this is awesome man, this sounds great, we need to make this happen’.

“That’s the power of opening yourself to the energy of the universe but also acting on those things when they come to the light.”

Health concerns have been raised about Tyson, who hasn’t fought professionally in nearly two decades. His most recent fight came back in December 2020 when he fought Roy Jones Jr to a draw in an exhibition bout.

His showdown with Paul was initially postponed due to an ulcer flare-up that interrupted Tyson’s training. But the veteran appears to be in better shape now after posting videos of himself practising punches against the bag.

His clash with Paul will be an officially sanctioned professional fight, with the Texas Athletic Commission scheduling an eight-round fixture. Each round will last two minutes and knockouts will be allowed.