Mike Tyson told he can beat Jake Paul as he's handed bizarre "unicorn" compliment

An ex-bodybuilder who helped train Mike Tyson for his last fight has dismissed concerns over his health before fighting Jake Paul.

Brad Rowe, a former IFBB professional, helped boxing legend Tyson prepare for his exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020. No winner was declared after Tyson went eight rounds with Jones and he later admitted to being bed-ridden for six weeks before the fight after an intense training session took a toll on his body.

Tyson went viral again last week after he showed his age whilst completing a 30-yard sprint, but Rowe has told fans not to worry about the 57-year-old.

"Mike is a unicorn, he is stiff and uncoordinated in so many aspects of training. Then when he enters the ring he turns into a ballerina. It’s unexplainable," Rowe told USA Today Sports.

Tyson hasn't competed in a professional bout since retiring on his stool against journeyman Kevin McBridge almost two decades ago and he will be 58 by the time he fights Paul. Rowe used to pray for Tyson's health when they trained together for his last fight as 'Iron Mike' didn't let his age hold him back.

"Day one he’s like, ‘No, f*** you. I’m sprinting. So I was like, ‘All right. Let’s pray for no injuries today.’ We’d go to this tennis court and he would like jog around the corners and sprint the straightaways and I’d be, like, I didn’t want him doing it because especially with someone older, an athlete that’s not used to that explosive moment," Rowe added.

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Paul had a different view to fans after watching Tyson's sprinting video as he claimed the clip only made him more fearful for their fight. "Yeah, he was sprinting! It's motivating I think. It's good to carry fear into the ring and with you on a daily basis when you're training because it makes you better," Paul said on his BS podcast.

"It excites me that I have my toughest and craziest and most powerful opponent to date. He definitely is looking like a f***ing animal. I will say people are underestimating me. They see how good he looks on the mitts but Mike looking good on the mitts is not even half the battle, he's got to face me in the ring. I think he might be seeing these videos and his confidence is growing."