ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Friendship is at the heart of how a fight came to be between 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and much younger YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

Friction helped build hype for a fight that tests the formula for broadcasting boxing to the masses, a first-ever combat sports offering from streaming platform Netflix rather than pay-per-view or cable traditional.

“I think they are beloved Mike Tyson fans,” Paul said, trying to explain the loud boos that greeted him when the two appeared together in recent months to tout the event.

“And I’m the new kid on the block, the troublemaker, the loudmouth and the polarizing figure,” Paul said. “And I built my career as a heel. Naturally, people want to pick on me, and that’s great for the sport of boxing.

Tyson’s first sanctioned professional fight in nearly 20 years will take place Friday night at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. A crowd of at least 60,000 is expected while Netflix offers the fight at no extra cost to more than 280 million subscribers worldwide.

Paul, 27, is relatively new to the sport, with the former social media influencer having a 10-1 record with seven knockouts, mainly against mixed martial artists and journeyman boxers.

Asked about the friendship earlier in the week, Tyson replied: “There’s no feeling of attachment.” He proved it by slapping Paul as they faced off after the weigh-in on Thursday night.

Tyson seemed offended by the way Paul approached him for the faceoff, but didn’t bother to explain. “The discussion is over,” Tyson, who weighed 228 pounds, said when one of the hosts tried to ask a question.

“Now this is personal,” Paul shouted into a microphone before storming off the stage. Paul weighed 227 pounds.

Tyson was 50-6 with 44 knockouts when he retired after losing to Kevin McBride in 2005, saying he had nothing left to give the sport. He last fought in an exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. without fans during the pandemic in 2020.

A fight originally scheduled for July 20 was postponed when Tyson required treatment for a stomach ulcer after falling ill on a flight.

Tyson said in a documentary chronicling preparations for the fight that he lost 26 pounds in the process of recovering.

Promoter Nakisa Bidarian, who co-founded Most Valuable Promotions with Paul, said Tyson was medically cleared weeks ago. Bidarian sidestepped the question of how concerned he was about Tyson’s health once he entered the ring.

“I’m nervous for both men,” Bidarian said. “The reality is that Jake has never been punched in the chin by someone like Mike Tyson. And Mike hasn’t fought someone like Jake in a very long time. That’s what makes it interesting.”

Paul said he had a vision for the fight about two years ago and shared it with Tyson because he thought the Hall of Famer would understand — and be interested. It took about that long for the fight to take place.

Tyson appeared agitated at the two hyped events with fans in the Dallas area, first in the weeks leading up to the originally scheduled fight and again at a news conference two nights before the fight.

He was more thoughtful in a smaller setting with reporters, suggesting he was not the same foul-mouthed, sullen fighter of his heyday.

“I’ve been through so many ups and downs since my last fight with Kevin McBride,” Tyson said. “I went to rehab. I’ve been in prison, I’ve been locked up. Never in a million years would I have thought I would do this.

Paul is reportedly being paid $40 million for this fight, a figure he mentioned at another press conference in New York in August.

Tyson, who served two prison sentences for convictions in the 1990s for rape and assault and who declared bankruptcy 21 years ago, will receive $20 million. Tyson said he wasn’t fighting for the money.

“That old Mike Tyson…he has no purpose in my life anymore. He just doesn’t exist,” Tyson said. “I’m having a good time in my life. I don’t have a lot of time.” I’m gone, so I’m having the time of my life.

Several states would not sanction the fight. Texas agreed to an eight-round fight instead of 10 or 12, with two-minute rounds instead of three and heavier gloves designed to reduce the power of punches.

Paul faced lingering questions about why he would fight someone much older, regardless of Tyson’s pedigree. His answers were consistent.

“I say talk to Mike and tell him that,” Paul said. “He’s the one who wanted it to be a professional fight and me, as a young guy in this sport, I’m not going to (pass) up the opportunity to fight the GOAT of boxing. It’s like Ja Morant turning down a 1-on-1 against LeBron. This won’t happen.

There is a high-profile championship fight on the card – the co-main event of Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano.

Paul said he wanted to give women a spotlight following their fight at sold-out Madison Square Garden in 2022. It was the first time women had headlined a boxing event in this famous place.

Taylor won a split decision that many questioned. Bidarian and Paul say the rematch for the undisputed welterweight title will be the most lucrative women’s sporting event in history.

“A lot of people said the real main event was Taylor-Serrano,” Bidarian said. “I’m fine if you feel that way. Jake said he was more excited about this fight than his own fight. But we wanted to make sure as many eyeballs as possible could see this fight. To be completely honest with ourselves, Paul-Tyson appeals to a wider audience. »