Mike Tyson, 58, one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, returns to the ring this Friday (15) to face influencer and YouTuber Jake Paul, 27, in Arlington, United States.
In an interview with Sheet granted at the end of October, the American fighter said he felt ready for the fight, expected to last eight two-minute rounds, and praised the work of his trainer, Brazilian Rafael Cordeiro.
“He’s very impressive, really good. That’s why he’s with me. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be,” Tyson said. The relationship between the two began in 2020, months before the boxer returned to the ring for an exhibition with Roy Jones Jr., in Los Angeles, which ended in a draw.
At the time, the Brazilian was responsible for holding the handle for Tyson to practice his strikes. After the confrontation with Jones Jr., Cordeiro continued as coach of the American star, who will try to score the 59th victory of his career against Paul.
Before crossing paths with Tyson, the Curitiba native had been considered the best trainer of the year twice —2012 and 2015— by Fighters Only magazine. At 51 years old, he has the record of having prepared 16 world champions during half his life.
His career in the ring began at the age of 13, when he started training Muay Thai and MMA at the Chute Boxe gym, in Curitiba, responsible for revealing names such as Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva and Mauricio Shogun. At 19, Cordeiro received the black degree, in which the athlete is already considered a teacher.
Also a black belt in jiu-jitsu, he became Brazilian muay thai champion and champion of the International Vale Tudo Championship (IVC) before deciding to join the corner of his colleagues, among whom were also Fabricio Werdum and Cris Cyborg.
In 2010, he founded his own gym in the United States, Kings MMA, which today offers training for amateur and professional muay thai, MMA and jiu-jitsu fighters, as well as classes for children. The professional team led by Cordeiro is made up of 14 athletes, including Werdum, who compete in different martial arts leagues.
Mike Tyson’s last training session before the fight against Paul took place this Wednesday (13). “Last sparring session [luta simulada] before the war! May God bless us!”, wrote Cordeiro on his social networks. It took seven months of preparation to face his opponent, who has so far accumulated a record with ten wins and just one defeat. “Jake is going to be crushed”, Tyson told Sheet.
Where to watch
The main card will be broadcast on Netflix from 10pm Brasília time.
Before that, at 7:30 pm, the preliminary card fights will take place, which will be broadcast on the Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix YouTube channels and on the Netflix Tudum website.
