Mike Tyson’s return to the professional boxing arena in July has been branded by some as little more than a combat sports curiosity — but if that is the case, neither man is aware of it. 

On Thursday, two months removed from their eight-round clash in Arlington, Texas, the two fighters who will trade blows in what is expected to be one of the biggest audiences for a boxing match in history, given that it is being broadcast on streaming giant Netflix, came face-to-face in a second press event.

And if their first meeting in New York was a largely respectful affair, not so this one.

“I don’t know if he’s in his prime. He’s fat,” Tyson said of his upcoming opponent’s heft. “He should be lean and mean. He’s fat and funky. I saw him with his shirt off the other day, he’s fat. Did you start training already?”

And as for Paul’s proclamations of a knockout of Tyson, the legendary boxer retorted: “He couldn’t even knock out Diaz. Diaz is 40 pounds. He’s going to knock me out? Anderson Silva, he couldn’t even knock out the little guys? How’s he going to knock me out?

“Who did he knock out? Little children. He never knocked out a real man, come on. He didn’t knock out Tommy Fury. I’m going to f*ck Jake up. How am I going to lose if he couldn’t beat Tommy Fury?”

Paul, though, doubled-down on his intentions ahead of the fight. “Look, he’s right. I can’t stand here and say I did those things but what I promise to the people on July 20, Mike will be put to sleep and he will feel my power. I will go down as the man who put Tyson to sleep for the last time.

“I respect Mike, he’s a legend. But it’s time, it’s my time now. There’s a reason why I have the same birthday as Cus D’Amato, because I’m going to teach you how to f*cking box, Mike.”