MIKE TYSON must put friendship and even his family’s love for Jake Paul aside for their £60million match.
The heavyweight great returns to the ring on November 15 for a controversial clash against YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul.
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It comes after years of championing and hailing the social media star’s impact on the sport.
But now Tyson has vowed to END the boxing career he helped start when professional records and reputations go on the line in Texas.
He said: “This is business, this is just business, nothing personal.”
Tyson, 58, once talked down ever fighting Paul, 27, revealing even his kids are fans of the former vlogger.
He said on the Nelk Boys’ podcast: “I mean my whole f***ing family, everybody loves this little white motherf***er!”
Tyson might be the Baddest Man on The Planet to Paul and everyone else – but to his children he is just their old man.
He said: “My kids don’t have too much involvement with my boxing career, I’m dad to them.
“There’s so many other celebrities they enjoy better than me but I’m dad.”
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Tyson has seven kids, Mikey, 34, Rayna, 28, Amir, 27, Miguel, 22, Milan, 16, and Morocco, 13, and Exodus, who sadly died aged four in 2009.
Milan and Morocco were not even born when their famous father fought as a professional for the last time.
That night in 2005 – almost 20 YEARS AGO – he quit on his stool against Kevin McBride and threw the towel in on his boxing career.
But now two decades later and he is back and says just ten per cent of his brutal best is enough to beat 10-1 Paul.
Tyson said: “I’m just doing really well. I’m doing really well.
“I’m very grateful that I’m doing well. I’m just looking forward to the fight, really looking forward to it.
“Like when you think about it regardless of how old I am, this guy only has ten fights.
“He only has ten fights, if I can fight a little bit with my experience, he only has ten f***ing fights, okay?
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“If I can fight ten per cent of what I was, he only has ten fights, he couldn’t match that.
“And that’s being sincere. If I’m 10 per cent, he can’t match it.”
Tyson was initially forced out of the original July 20 fight date after suffering an ulcer flare-up in his stomach during a flight.
He has since been passed medically fit to resume training but will undertake additional brain and heart tests due to his age.
Both will also be subject to drug testing and they look to become the first boxers to headline an event on streaming giants Netflix.
A huge $80MILLION (£60m) purse is being split down the middle but Tyson insists the fight for the ages is NOT money-motivated.
He said: “The money from this fight is not going to change my lifestyle. This is not for financial reasons.
“My life is not gonna change, not 1 per cent after this fight, I will always be able to live this way and I’m just doing it because I wanna test myself.”
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