Speaker 1: With that, now let's go to your conversation with Mike
Tyson that you had just recently, and we should say
to the audience, this is not the typical Lenky Rayfield conversation.
Speaker 2: And the reason why you can explain this a little further.
Speaker 1: You were one of several getting the rare opportunity to
talk with him in advance of this Jake Paul fight.
Speaker 2: And as it turns out, you were like Derek Jeter
for your Yankees. You were in the one spot.
Speaker 1: You were the lead off guy here when you got
a hold of him, and it took some work to
get it done, but you got that done.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we got it done. I mean, look, Number one,
I have a good relationship with Mike and always have
ever since the disastrous first interview, you know, twenty some
years ago. I was in the one slot because to
make it happen, the one thing I have, and you
know this, my hard schedule on Friday is our bet
Us show, That's right, And the time when Mike was
available was like right on the edge of that show,
and obviously I didn't want to miss the show.
Speaker 4: And that's a mess up. You know, that would be
a problem.
Speaker 1: We didn't have a contingency that if suddenly Mike was
delayed and you had to leave during the show, we
were gonna let you leave and come back.
Speaker 2: I could tell us how that was going.
Speaker 1: I was kind of sort of not that I wanted it,
but I was kind of sort of intrigue, how's this
going to go?
Speaker 2: But it turns out they were on time and you
got your time with him.
Speaker 3: Right, So they Mike had they What they did was
they basically were going to do like I think Mike
was doing about an hour of interviews, and they lined
up different people to do these interviews with short interviews,
you know, ten, five, eight minutes whatever it was going
to be. And so I say, you know, and again
I've got a good relationship with those folks. They said, listen,
I can make it work, but can you put me
first so I can make sure I'm out by the
time I have this commitment position?
Speaker 4: Exactly? So they did. But here's the thing. Mike was on.
Speaker 3: You know, first of all, I don't care if you're
if you're doing an interview you're three orour minutes late,
I don't consider that late. He was within a few minutes.
It was good, Like I said, I've known Mike a
long time. They hadn't talked to him for an interview
in several years, even though I saw him in Vegas
not that long ago, and actually, uh, you know, spend
a little time shooting the shit with him. But uh, anyway,
we talked about the Jake Paul fight that's coming up
on November fifteenth, and got into a couple of things
about that, and it was good to talk to me.
Look good, he was in a good mood.
Speaker 5: You know.
Speaker 3: I was always concerned is he gonna be on time,
because that's not necessarily Mike sporte timeliness. But you know what,
he's He's taken this and acting like a true professional,
it seems to me, And it was was excellent to
talk to him. I'm glad that we got it done
and now the fans can hear what he has to say.
Speaker 2: An excellent segue.
Speaker 1: Let's get to that conversation with Iron Mike fighting Jake
Paul coming up next Friday night.
Speaker 2: Here you go right now on the pod.
Speaker 3: Well, it is my great pleasure to be welcome to
our podcast today none other than the former undisputed heavyweight
champion of the world and dare I say, boxing icon
Mike Tyson. Mike, it's been a while since we've had
an interview. I really appreciate It's.
Speaker 4: Great to see you. How have you been. Basically, you're
doing great.
Speaker 5: I've been training over a year so fun.
Speaker 6: Now I'm just grateful to be healthy, grateful to be here,
and looking forward to tonight.
Speaker 3: Well, I know a lot of people are looking forward
to this, and I must say, you know I covered
your career when you were throwing an active fighter back
in the early two thousands. Uh, you know, you were
still one of the big attraction stars in boxing. I
don't think that's changed actually, even though you haven't been fighting.
But it blows my mind that twenty five years later,
I'm still covering professional boxing. But it blows my mind
more that Mike Tyson's getting back in the ring for
what is an officially sanctioned oubt despite a few rules squeaks.
And I wonder what is your motivation for this event
other than obviously you're being paid very well for it.
Speaker 6: Well, now, you know, this payday wouldn't change my life
any you know, my life would still be the same
if I didn't get received. This person is just that
I want to test myself. I want to get outside
my comfort zone.
Speaker 3: Okay, I mean everybody knows your history. You were, at
age twenty, the youngest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing,
and as you know, your mentor, the Great Custom Model,
predicted that it was his prophecy. He unfortunately died before
he was able to see you realize that. And I
wonder if you ever given a moment's thought to what
he would think that now you're coming out of almost
a twenty year retirement to fight again.
Speaker 6: He would love it because they hate thought that fighting
was psychological and one of one of the physical. And
if a fighter stayed in shape and he stayed the active,
you'll still be successful at an old age as well.
Speaker 4: What do your kids think about this?
Speaker 3: Because they weren't around when you were champion, they weren't
around when you were a top contender and still active,
and they're gonna get to see their dad fight for
the first time.
Speaker 4: Probably most of the you know these, some.
Speaker 5: Of my kids probably say you crazy.
Speaker 6: You know, you know kids kids don't look at you,
and other people look at you look at your dad
to see your flaw. Hey you're crazy, dad, I think
your old lad down or something like that. But you know,
I think they're gonna be an exciting scene. By they'd
be exciting to see that they fought more than an
old man.
Speaker 3: All right, you mentioned old man. I mean, we all
know you're fifty eight years old. Your your opponent, Jake
Paul is twenty seven. He's thirty one years younger than you.
So what do you say to the people, Because you
have so many people out there that love you, idolize you,
just you know, think you're one of the greatest fighters
of all time, but probably acknowledge that men who are
sixty years old probably shouldn't be in the boxing ring,
particularly with a guy that's young, with good power and
in his physical prime.
Speaker 4: What do you say to the people that are concerned
for you?
Speaker 5: A lot of things I shouldn't be doing more than fighting.
Speaker 6: I shouldn't be out in club thinking that I'm a
big shot of something, out of a big event, in
worship by people.
Speaker 5: I think I'm too old for that crap.
Speaker 6: You know, I think I'm too old a sieve ward iconically,
I think I'm too old for that. But fighting kicking
somebody death, no, I don't think I'm too old for that.
Speaker 3: No, what do you say to the people then who
look at this, and again, they know Mike Tyson, They've
seen the highlights, They maybe watch your fights, maybe they're
fans of Jakes, but they look at the pairing between
you two guys, they say, well, this is kind of
a sideshow. What is your response to those folks.
Speaker 5: I'm that's their opinion. It's the other things I could say,
but you're right that they're opendent to it.
Speaker 4: I'll take you.
Speaker 3: I'll take you back when you had your final fight,
obviously before this one, your your last official fight against
Kevin McBride two thousand and five, almost you know, twenty
years ago. I know I covered that fight. I can
vividly remember. I don't know if you remember this. You
tell me fights over. You did your press commence, you
announce your retirement, and you and me and I was
early in my days at ESPN, and my former colleague
from USA today who I know you know well over
the years, John Sarasino. The three of us sat at
the table at the at the Dais after your press
commence and you talked to us for like a half
an hour and basically said, I don't ever want to
fight again. I'd never want to pick up gloves. I
hate the smell of a gym. I'm done.
Speaker 4: Remember that.
Speaker 5: You remember that implicitly, but you have to really consider it.
Speaker 6: Back then, I'm doing cocaine, I'm doing liquor, I'm doing
all kind of drug. I'm killing myself. I'm not having
a good relationship with myself my time. Times are different
now I have I have a totally different relationship with
myself from God, and I don't feel like that anymore.
Speaker 4: Well, I guess I'm glad to hear that.
Speaker 5: What was uh?
Speaker 3: What what is the status of your health? Because this
fight was scheduled a few months ago and they.
Speaker 5: Had a bleeding ulsa and I was eating bad food.
Speaker 6: I had a bleeding ulsa, and I started feeling exhausted
during my workouts and I couldn't understand it because just
a week before that, I was going eight rounds, ten
round and I would go three rounds and I was exhausted.
And they said, I'm looking good, But they said, but
I said, I'm exhausted. What do you mean I'm looking good?
And then I want to get checked that. I went
to the hot I was getting ready to go to
Los Angeles and I.
Speaker 5: Was on the plane and I passed out on the plane.
Speaker 3: And you're good now or they're still instription now I'm
perfect now, okay.
Speaker 5: Uh.
Speaker 3: You know, and this is one thing I wonder also.
I mean, I guess you and I've heard you say this.
You know, once a fighter, always a fighter. But do
you still have it in you like you did when
you were the baddest man on the planet and would
go into the ring and destroy your opponents. Maybe you
can do that, maybe you can't, But do you have
the mentality still that that's what you want to do? Uh,
go in there and destroy Jake Paul on November I
believe I could do it with Jake Paul.
Speaker 4: You do.
Speaker 3: Yeah, So we're gonna see you think we're gonna see
a classic Mike Tyson knockout.
Speaker 5: I'm coming again. I'm coming straight forth.
Speaker 4: All right.
Speaker 3: I wrap up with just this last question, then, Mike.
They amended the rules a little bit, made the two
minute rounds fourteen ounce gloves a little different than your
average men's boxing match you would normally as a heavyweight,
where uh the the ten ounce gloves and have three
minute rounds. Can you just tell me just a little
b about your thoughts about the rules changes.
Speaker 6: Two rounds would be more action, and I don't know.
This is a fight regardless about those rules. This is
a fight and sometimes we been the low.
Speaker 3: All right, Mike, I really appreciate your time. I know
our time is limited, so I just will say thank
you very much and I.
Speaker 5: Wish you.
Speaker 4: Start.
Speaker 3: Good thing you again. Yeah, Mike, great to see you. Also,
thank you very much, and like I said, best luck
team in the fight.
Speaker 1: Can I just tell you that just hearing that, I mean,
that's tremendous. I didn't I don't you know, I don't
get the privilege of seeing it because again you did
a video interview with him, and when we get to
hear it, but just hearing that gets you rolling. I
don't know what this is gonna be in Arlington, Texas.
I'm talking about hearing him here on the pod with
always the mere fact that I'm just getting to hear
him gets me in a bigger, more anticipatory. Is that
the right word mood for the jay? I don't know
what this is gonna be with Jake's of all.
Speaker 3: The interviews that we've had on the pod, that's that's
the biggest name.
Speaker 1: With certainly certainly massive there on that. So again, I
hope we get to the finish line. We're now within
a week of getting to the finish line because he's
had health problems. He's fifty eight. But at least you
got to hear from Iron Mike about this. All right,
wrap it up as we now get ready for fight
week for that week next week.
Speaker 3: Well, I just say there's a lot, a lot of
differences between doing some interviews with some boxing writers and
reporters and media personalities compared to getting in the ring
and facing a twenty seven year old man that's throwing
punches at your head when you haven't been in a
real fight in twenty years. So, you know, for for
everybody's sake, I hope it's not a train wreck that
a lot of people are expecting. I don't know what's
going to happen. I certainly have my feelings about how
the result's going to happen. We'll get into that later
as the fight gets closer. But I hope that when
it's over that people are not disappointed. At least a
good thing about it is compared to having spent maybe
seven or eighty dollars in a pay per view. At
least this is not a pay per view.
Speaker 4: It's part of a.
Speaker 3: Regular Netflix subscription. Obviously, millions and millions of people have Netflix,
so no extra chart. You watch it the same way
you watch anything else you might watch a Netflix. So
from that standpoint, it is good. And they have some
interesting fights on the undercard.
Speaker 4: Yeah, obviously the Katie Taylor.
Speaker 3: A rematch against Amanda Toronto, so it's going to be,
you know, an event.
Speaker 5: So let's go.
Speaker 4: I'll pick ten. What happens.
Speaker 1: We have at least gotten in range of fight with
brother Rahield, So that's good.
Speaker 2: That's upcoming.
Speaker 1: An excellent job, excellent hustle with getting iron Mic