Mike Tyson caught fans’ attention with several pre-fight antics ahead of his showdown with YouTuber Jake Paul on Friday night.
The former world heavyweight boxing champion is set to enter the ring with Paul at AT&T Stadium in Texas, despite a 31-year age difference between the two.
Tyson’s brutal punch on Paul drew the most attention at the weigh-in, forcing the 58-year-old to be dragged away.
However, fans were quick to highlight more of Tyson’s bizarre actions during the weigh-in itself at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving.
Tyson stepped on the scale wearing Versace pants and weighed 228.4 pounds.
He then surprised viewers by grabbing his crotch in front of the audience.
Mike Tyson had stunned fans by making an X-rated gesture during his pre-fight weigh-in
Tyson was spotted grabbing his crotch as he weighed in at the Toyota Music Factory
The 58-year-old delivered a shocking punch to Jake Paul after the trade-off ahead of their fight
One claimed Tyson’s X-rated gesture had been overlooked given the furor caused by his punch.
“All this talk about Mike Tyson hitting Jake Paul – not enough research on the nut sack grab – Mike is definitely unique,” one fan said.
Another wrote: “I know the punch is going viral but…” before adding laughing emojis in response to Tyson’s actions.
Some fans suggested the gesture was a sign of Tyson’s mentality heading into the fight.
They noted that Tyson had made a similar gesture to the cross prior to his heavyweight title fight with Lennox Lewis in 2002.
Tyson had grabbed his crotch and started shouting expletives at someone in the crowd after a brawl with Lewis and his entourage at a press conference 22 years ago.
“What people don’t know: Mike Tyson must be in a dangerous state of mind to do this. He’s not 20-year-old Mike Tyson, but his mentality in the ring hasn’t changed,” one fan wrote.
“Getting full Lewis vs. Tyson vibes,” another added, while a third simply wrote: “vintage Mike.”
Fans were quick to highlight Tyson’s X-rated gesture ahead of Friday’s fight
Tyson’s decision to hit Paul received widespread attention, with the action claimed to be retaliation.
Paul seemed relatively unfazed by the stoppage, as Tyson was restrained and made little comment before leaving the stage. That gave Paul the opportunity to send his final message via the microphone.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on stage, Paul said: ‘Mike Tyson, that was a cute slap buddy, but tomorrow you’re going to get the fuck knocked out.
‘I damn him, I damn him! He hits like a b***h. It’s personal now, it’s personal now!
In a chilling ending, he delivered a three-word message: “He must die!”
Tyson, 58, is 19 years removed from his last sanctioned professional fight, despite competing in an exhibition with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.