First on stage were three men, dressed in high-vis tops and hats. They flipped buckets upside down, turned them into drums and bashed away – even after the formalities had begun.
Then came a second three-piece – one man playing a trombone, one tapping bongo drums, one whacking a bell. Then came a solo violinist. Then a quartet of fighters who treated us to another rendition of platitudes – the familiar soundtrack to boxing events like this.
After Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor had fallen silent, the stage was handed over to journalists. One asked Serrano – a seven-weight world champion – where she was going to put the extra pounds she can carry up at super lightweight. Seriously.
And then, eventually, this became an open mic night: the crowd crammed into the Apollo Theater in Harlem were invited to steal the show. One fan needed no second invitation.
He was a young boxer from around these parts. Barely a teen. He stepped up to the microphone and offered an R-rated endorsement of the fighters. Then he asked – in less polite terms – which of Tyson or Paul had slept with more women. Apparently that was the tipping point.
Mike Tyson says Jake Paul has to ‘fight like his life depends on it’
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Mike Tyson appeared at times to be taken aback by the chaos of his Jake Paul press conference
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Tyson and Paul faced off for the first time on Monday at Harlem’s Apollo Theater
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Tyson will be 58 by the time he fights Jake Paul, 27, in Dallas, Texas on July 28
Paul blushed and rocked back in his chair. The shock jock was stunned into silence; soon Tyson was forced to speak out. ‘I can’t believe we’re at a press conference,’ he said.
Yep, Mike Tyson was shocked into speaking out. The same Mike Tyson whose life has – for long periods – veered between chaos and carnage. The same Mike Tyson who gnawed the ear of one opponent and threatened to eat the babies of another.
He is in a more serene place now, sitting atop piles of green, having built a cannabis empire that has replenished much of $400million he made and then lost through boxing. But still, what does it say about this circus that he was the voice of reason?
What does it say about boxing that this bonkers spectacle was relatively mundane compared to Monday’s curtain raiser to the first undisputed heavyweight title fight for 25 years?
Over in Saudi Arabia, John Fury headbutted someone ahead of his son’s fight. Here in Harlem, a 27-year-old took a few playful digs in the kidney from a man old enough to be his dad.
Not much makes sense anymore. Not that the people here cared. One queued from 6am, apparently. They all hollered in approval as Tyson and Paul talked up their July 20 meeting in Dallas.
Netflix will broadcast the fight to its 270million subscribers. More than 120,000 have registered for tickets, which come on sale this week. Some will pay up to $2million for a VIP package that includes locker room access and seats on the ring apron.
No matter that Tyson hasn’t fought professionally for nearly two decades. No matter that by fight night, 31 years will separate the two fighters. No matter that many people – including Deontay Wilder – have sounded alarm bells of concern for Tyson’s health.
Jake Paul expects Mike Tyson fight to split fans across age groups
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The two fighters pictured as they face off during a bizarre press conference on Monday
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Tyson has dismissed concerns that he is now too old to be getting back into the ring
‘The people who say that wish they were up here. Because no one else can do this,’ the 57-year-old said. ‘No one else can shut the sporting world down.’
It’s true that few athletes can cast a spell like Tyson. Even at this age. Even when he fights a Youtuber-turned-boxer with 10 fights to his name in a sanctioned boxing match.
There is a reason Netflix have chosen this event as their way into live sports streaming. Sports fans always will be seduced by icons and intrigue. Even Katie Taylor, one of the most decorated fighters of the modern era, morphed into a fangirl as she sat beside Tyson on stage.
‘I’m pinching myself,’ she said before posing for selfies. ‘I’m truly honored to be on this card,’ Serrano added. It was all rather bizarre. The surest sign that something was amiss? The press conference actually started on time.
Just around the corner from Apollo Theater, a mural is painted on to the walls of Harlem. It shows LeBron James, Simone Biles, Malcolm X, Serena Williams and Muhammad Ali. They appear to be sharing wisdom with youngsters.
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The 57-year-old pictured on arrival in New York as the build-up to the fight ramps up
A few meters away, rather than pass down the torch, two generations were coming together to set AT&T Stadium ablaze on July 20. Many won’t ever condone it. Many will struggle to understand this new age of content and carefully curated chaos.
Even Tyson seems a bit perplexed by what he has hobbled into.
‘Forgive me I’m an old dude, this is new,’ he said at one point. He was particularly puzzled by that foul-mouthed fan. ‘Where’s your mother at?’ he asked the youngster. Not here, it seemed. Come July 20, though? She’ll probably be watching, too.
