Iron Mike’s legacy on line

Jake Paul is betting on himself to beat boxing legend Mike Tyson when the pair meet in the ring in Texas on Friday in what the social media star turned prizefighter predicts will be a slugfest.

The 27-year-old Paul, who is more than three decades Tyson’s junior, said he hoped for a vintage performance from “Iron Mike,” who will be fighting in his first professional bout since 2005. “I want him to be that old savage Mike,” Paul (10-1) said. “I want the hardest match possible and I want there to be no excuses from anyone when I knock him out.”

A subdued Tyson (50-6) was anything but fierce during the press conference, offering only short answers to pointed questions and uninterested in engaging in the back-and-forth Paul was clearly itching for.

“I’m just ready to fight,” he said flatly at various times.

Paul described Tyson’s demeanor as “boring.” Tyson, known as the “Baddest Man on the Planet,” was one of the most fearsome heavyweight champions of all time during his heyday in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but the fight with Paul had to be rescheduled from July due to the 58-year-old’s ulcer flare-up in late May. Tyson showed some signs of life when asked what losing to Paul would mean to his legacy. “I’m not going to lose,” he said.

As the reporter began her follow-up question, Tyson interrupted. “I’m not going to lose! Did you hear what I said?” he thundered.

The showman Paul, meanwhile, leaned heavily into gimmicks. He revealed a diamond-spiked ear cover, a cheeky reference to Tyson’s wild 1997 fight against Evander Holyfield where Tyson lost his WBA heavyweight title after being disqualified for biting off part of his opponent’s ear.