Rapper Drake has bet big once again on Jake Paul’s showdown with Mike Tyson.
Paul and Tyson meet in a historic showdown in Texas, despite being 31 years apart in age in a seismic event which has captured the eyes of millions around the world on streaming service Netflix.
Celebrities and A-listers will attend ringside, but many will have their eyes on the event even if they aren’t fortunate enough to get a seat.
Canadian hip-hop superstar Drake, who has always posted on social media his interest in combat sports, is known to put on lucrative wagers.
And he has done so again, placing a $355,000 pre-fight bet on the clash.
He has backed betting underdog and heavyweight icon Tyson to get the job done, not needing it to be by KO with the fight to be scored.
It is a telling endorsement for the 58-year-old who will likely be the popularly backed fighter both in the arena and from fans watching from home.
He faces an uphill battle given he is far from his physical prime, and hasn’t fought in a competitive professional bout since retiring in 2005.
But he has been strong in the build-up posting regular training footage, which is clearly enough to convince Drake that he can get the job done.
He has explained that he believes he is the one that possesses the tools to win, with his experience enough in his view to beat Paul.
Tyson said: “When I first agreed to the fight I just thought, ‘Yeah, let’s fight.’
“But then I started going through the process of getting ready for the fight and it was, ‘F***, s***, this is something.’
“So the process is over, now is the fight. The fight is the party. The training’s the process, the process is tough, but the fight is the party.
That’s what the whole process is about – the knockout.”
Paul is equally as confident, being the younger and fitter fighter despite having only had 11 professional outings.
He predicted a long night for his rival, and is confident criticism will spur him to victory.
‘El Gallo’ added: “I’m blessed to be in the position I am, to be highly criticised.
“That just means I’m doing something right. No one has had a boxing career like mine.
“It’ll be studied and judged, but I’ve risen to the top in four years because I’ve taken risks.
I was the underdog all the way up until Nate Robinson and that’s something that people don’t remember [and] don’t give any credit to, but I put it on the line against some of the best in the sport every single time.
I fear no man. So I want him to be that old savage Mike. He says he’s going to kill me. I’m ready. I want that killer.
“I want the hardest match possible Friday night, and I want there to be no excuses from everyone at home when I knock him out.”
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