Mike Tyson sparring partners ‘sign NDAs’ as Jake Paul training footage addressed
Mike Tyson has reportedly taken the extreme step of making his training partners sign Non-Disclosure Agreements to avoid leaks ahead of his fight with Jake Paul.
Former world heavyweight champion Tyson, 58, will face off against the YouTuber-turned-boxer this Friday at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Despite their 31-year age gap, there’s plenty of buzz around the match, which was postponed earlier this year from its original July date.
‘Iron Mike’ will step into the ring for the first time since his exhibition bout with boxing legend Roy Jones Jr in 2020, which ended in a draw after eight rounds, and for his first professional fight since a defeat in 2005. The veteran is using the same group of sparring partners to help him get in shape ahead of the Paul fight.
But despite him regularly posting edited clips of his training regime on social media, The Sun reports Tyson’s training partners have been made to sign NDAs to keep his preparation under wraps.
The report states that his sparring partners join him in his personal Las Vegas gym. Among them are heavyweights Mike Russell, who helped train Nate Diaz before his defeat to Paul last year, and Jett Blackwell, who was only a 19-year-old amateur when he sparred Tyson for the Jones match.
The secrecy surrounding Tyson’s training camp follows a recent leak from one of Paul’s sparring partners. DeAndre Savage, ranked 15th in the world by the WBA, recently gave a full interview to Pro Boxing Fans. He spoke about the ins and outs of sparring with the social media sensation, noting Paul’s strengths and weaknesses while confirming that he was dropped by the 10-1 boxer.
Savage said: “I think people are sleeping on Jake Paul, I was kind of sleeping on him at first but he’s taking it seriously. There were a few sparring partners, I did four [rounds] and then got out.
“It was good sparring. He’s still a little green but Jake has a good jab, and a good right hand too. He’s fast and he’s working on his ins and outs. He’s decent, I like him.
“I hope Mike wins but I don’t think so. I think the age [difference is too much]. It’s just a big payday. I don’t think it’s going to be the fight everyone expects it to be. It’s more for entertainment.”
Addressing the leaked footage of him being knocked down by Paul, Savage commented: “I don’t think it’s fair but I understand the business. I’ve got some clips too of other fighters being almost knocked out, three of them are top ten guys in the heavyweight division.”
