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KEVIN McBride has warned Jake Paul that he will think the “whole of America has hit him” when he gets punched by Mike Tyson.YouTuber Paul, 27, faces off against against ‘Iron Mike’ on Friday night in a bout live on streaming giant Netflix.Kevin McBride went toe-to-toe with Mike Tyson in 2005Tyson was floored by the Irishman who scored a shock victoryFollow all the action from Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson with SunSport’s LIVE BLOGMcBride, 51, was the last person to face Tyson in a pro fight Back in 2005.The ex-Irish boxer defeated the ‘baddest man on the planet’ by wearing him down until he sunk to the canvas.He later became a tree surgeon, and now paves pavements in the US.Read more Mike Tyson newsSpeaking to SunSport from his Boston home, McBride said: “Even though Tyson’s 58, he’s still very dangerous and looks like he still has that power.”Fair dues to Jake Paul for getting in the ring with him. I don’t think Jake realises it is a different level.When I was a kid growing up I idolised Tyson. So, to fight him was a surreal moment.””When he gets hit by Tyson on the chin, he’s going to think the whole of America has hit him.”19 years ago, many expected journeyman McBride to be quickly dispatched.Most read in BoxingThe former Olympian had already lost four times before he took on Tyson.It was a fight that, despite its dangers, McBride couldn’t turn down.”Getting in the ring with Mike Tyson was like a dream come true for me,” he said.Mike Tyson tells Jake Paul ‘I’ll feed it to my falcon’ after being presented with bizarre gift in pre-fight face-off “When I was a kid growing up I idolised Tyson. So, to fight him was a surreal moment. It was a Cinderella story – like James J. Braddock – to fight Mike Tyson.”I boxed in the Olympics for Ireland in 1992. I didn’t win, but I was in the biggest Games in the world.”I turned professional after the Olympics and I said to my father, ‘I’d love to fight Mike Tyson one day.’ He said, ‘You never know, it might happen.'”My father passed away before it happened, but years later he was right and I’m in the ring with the most feared man in the world.”Dreams happen and that was my fairytale. It’s a great claim to fame to say I’ve beaten the most feared man in the world.”Once he’s in the ring, he’s an animal. He wants you out of there, no matter what.”I just wanted to feel Mike Tyson’s power. That was 19 years ago, and I still feel his power today.”He’d hit you on one side of the body and you would feel something move on the other side.”Their fight would have happened sooner, but for Frank Maloney’s intervention that McBride might have been “killed” in the ring.”I was just a journeyman and I just loved boxing,” McBride continued.”I was offered to fight Tyson a few times before. Once with Frank Maloney, but Peter McNeeley fought him instead. I think Frank didn’t want to get me killed!Tyson resorted to dirty tactics, including trying to break McBride’s armIron Mike even bit McBride’s nipple and headbutted him”I’d have fought him, though. You have no fear when you’re a fighter, it’s in your blood.”McBride recalled what it was like to share the ring with “Animal” Tyson who would revert to dirty tactics during the fight.He said: “Once he’s in the ring, he’s an animal. He wants you out of there, no matter what.”I remember he hit me so hard in the 6th round I thought there was Leprecauns playing drums in my head, and I said to him ‘Is that all you’ve got?’ I was hoping that’s all he had got!”He also tried to break my arm during the fight, and bite my nipple off.”I felt a bid sad I’d beaten him, because he was such a legend and idol for me.””I remember the excruciating pain of that as I pulled my chest away. I’m just glad he had a mouthpiece in, otherwise he would have bitten my nipple off, as well as Evan Holyfield’s ear!”In the post-fight press conference, Tyson revealed he was retiring – insisting the hunger had gone.However, McBride disputed that and insisted he beat him fair and square.”After I fought him he said the hunger had gone. But he was trying to kill me in the ring,” McBride divulged.”He was in there to do damage. I physically beat him, I caught him with some great uppercuts, and I could feel the energy sapping from him.In the press conference after the fight, Tyson revealed his hunger for boxing had goneBut McBride disputes that – saying Tyson was like an animal in the ringread more sport features”I leaned on him and he fell. When he was sitting on the ground, I was thinking of picking him up but I thought I’d let him sit down for a while longer because he’s dangerous – he’d probably bite you on the way up!”I never won a world title in my career. But it was my world title beating Mike Tyson.”Surprisingly, McBride had mixed emotions about beating his hero Tyson.He then got an opportunity to meet another idol.He said: “I felt a bid sad I’d beaten him, because he was such a legend and idol for me. But I was also very happy.”I remember at the press conference afterwards someone told me Muhammad Ali, who was there, was leaving and he wanted to say goodbye to me.”So I jumped up from my chair and went over to him and gave him a big hug and kiss, and I said to him ‘This is the greatest night of my life, as far as boxing is concerned, I beat a legend and met the greatest of all time.'”I swear to God, Ali threw a few punches at me and said, ‘I’m the greatest, you’re the latest!'”For his efforts, McBride was paid $150,000 dollars for the fight.Amusingly, he confessed he cashed the cheque before he stepped into the ring.Journeyman McBride was paid $150,000 for his fight against Tyson at the MCI Center in Washington DCBefore gaining fame with his shock win against Tyson, McBride fought in the OlympicsHe laughed: “I remember the day before getting a cashier’s check paid because I didn’t trust them!”I didn’t believe they were going to pay me, so I went to the bank that day to make sure the money went into my account.”So I knew I got paid before I went in the ring. But I would’ve fought Mike Tyson for nothing.”Today, McBride’s life is very different. He occasionally goes to the gym and boxes.I had a dream – to go to the Olympics, fight professionally, then to fight my idol, Mike Tyson.”I am happy I got to do just that.”But after working as a tree surgeon, he’s now enjoying hard labour as a paver.”I have kids and a lovely wife,” he said.”I still go to the gym and do a little bit boxing.”But life goes on. I’m paving now, which is not easy – it’s manual work and I’ve lost about 15 pounds doing it.Counting down to Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson…READ MORE on all the build-up to the massive clash in Texas on Netflix…All the info:Latest news and features: Today, McBride, 51, works for a paving companyMcBride has warned Jake Paul of Tyson’s supreme punching power”Every morning I’ll get a cup of coffee and a couple of donuts… I’m living life now, everybody has to live life.READ MORE SUN STORIES”I had a dream – to go to the Olympics, fight professionally, then to fight my idol, Mike Tyson.”I am happy I got to do just that.” More

RORY Holloway and Mike Tyson’s paths first crossed in 1982 when the aspiring boxer was living in a juvenile detention home in upstate New York.Introduced by a mutual friend, when the soon-to-be heavyweight champion of the world was just 16, they soon became firm friends and began living together.Rory Holloway was Mike Tyson’s best friend and former managerHolloway met Tyson when he was just 16 before he became a global superstarCredit: Courtesy of Rory HollowayAccording to Holloway, Tyson refused to star in a Rocky film if he lost Sylvester Stallone’s famous characterFour years later, Tyson would ask Holloway to be his manager in the lobby of a Las Vegas hotel after defeating Trevor Berbick for the WBC title.Moments before that, Tyson would reject a leading role in Rocky – when Sylvester Stallone asked him if he would be interested in starring in the Hollywood franchise.In 1997 the pair parted ways – with Tyson’s senses distorted by the hangers-on in his life and the dissolution of Team Tyson.He accused his former promoter Don King of mismanaging his funds, while Holloway and John Horne were also sued for failing to protect his interests in dealings with King.Read more Mike Tyson newsThe matter was settled out of court, with Tyson receiving $14million.But, for Holloway, there was no bad blood. SunSport caught up with the ex-impresario who spoke candidly about his time managing the biggest sports star in the world.Holloway revealed how he had to react quickly to Tyson’s impulsive demands to please the boxing champ. For Holloway, managing Tyson was “totally chaotic.”Most read in Boxing’Is it fixed?’ Mike Tyson’s ex-trainer has serious questions about the Jake Paul fightIt started with that first act – snubbing Rocky and movie star fame.He told SunSport: “We’re chatting in the lobby after he became champ and Sylvester Stallone comes towards us.”He stops and says to Mike, ‘Hey Mike, great fight – congratulations. Maybe we need to talk about you being in the next Rocky movie?”Mike looked at him and nonchalantly replied, ‘Let me ask you something. In the movie, will you beat me?’ Stallone said, ‘Yeah, it’s Rocky.'”Then Mike said, ‘Hell, no. I wouldn’t even let you beat me for play.’ I thought that was crazy.”Despite turning down an opportunity at film stardom, Mike still had to wrestle with being a cultural icon.Holloway explained: “At that time, there were three Mikes. Jordan, Jackson, and Tyson. Out of the three, I think Michael Jackson and Mike Tyson were global phenomenons.”Tyson, because he was a young kid coming up from the background he did, created such an interest in the public eye.”You couldn’t go anywhere. Everywhere you’d go, time would stop. Back in Harlem, they’d have to shut it down if we visited because thousands of people would want to meet him.”That fame made life a little difficult. He wanted to be normal, but he couldn’t.”At times he was his own worst enemy. It was both difficult, but it was also a pleasure and an honour.”It was tough on Mike and it was tough on me – trying to wrap my arms around him and protect him.”The more money he got, the more difficult it got. And Mike had a very impulsive personality at that time.I always felt it was my job to protect him.”But sometimes you can’t protect people from themselves.””We could make plans, but the only thing that would count would be the next two minutes.”I had a lot thrust upon me. I was his closest friend, but at the same time I was his manager managing his fight career.”Sometimes it became difficult because the lines were blurred, and they started getting more blurred as we got older.”I always felt it was my job to protect him. But sometimes you can’t protect people from themselves.”Wherever Tyson went, huge crowds followed him, especially in HarlemHolloway revealed it was almost impossible planning Tyson’s training campsCredit: Courtesy of Rory HollowayTyson and promoter Don King celebrate Holloway’s wedding dayCredit: Courtesy of Rory HollowayHolloway remembered a moment that summed up Tyson’s behaviours.He continued: “We were preparing for a fight, and usually about 14 weeks before the fight I would set up the camp.”I had people who did that for me, so I’d told them once we were setting up in Flagstaff, Arizona.”These guys had 18-wheeler trucks. They brought all Mike’s equipment – all his rings, TV’s, and we’d rent out a whole hotel. They would give us the kitchen and I’d bring our private chefs.”Before Mike went out there he asked me if everything was set up.”He trained one or two days, then all of a sudden he was bored and told me, ‘I don’t wanna train here.’ I said to him, ‘What do you mean you don’t want to train here? We brought out almost a million dollars worth of equipment and we rented out a whole hotel!'”I’d tried my best to make it to his liking, even going overboard. But he didn’t want to train.”I thought to myself, we’ll give it a couple of days, he would settle down.”But I woke up the next morning and he was gone!””Next I know, Mike is in Vegas! He called me and I asked, ‘What you doing in Vegas?’Tyson’s impulsive nature made him difficult to manage said HollowayOnce Holloway got Tyson into the ring, he knew his job was done”And he said, ‘Bring all the stuff here! I want to train here’. So we had to bring all the equipment to Las Vegas, it cost us a fortune. We got to Vegas and after a few days there he said to me, ‘I don’t wanna train here, I want to go to Ohio!'”Holloway added: “It was crazy. But when he put his mind to something, you had to accommodate him.”Once I got him in the ring and saw him touch gloves with an opponent, it was like a weight had lifted off my shoulders.”I didn’t even care about the fight, I was just happy to have got him where I needed to get him.”In 1986, Mike created history at the Las Vegas Hilton when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round of the WBC heavyweight title contestHolloway was there for the moment that would change both their lives.At the time he was working at a juvenile detention centre, and was in Sin City to support his friend.By the end of the night, Holloway would become part of Team Tyson.”That’s probably one of the most memorable times in my life,” Holloway said. “It was a historical fight, he becomes the youngest ever heavyweight champion, and I then met him in the hotel lobby.Tyson floored Trevor Berbick to become the youngest ever heavyweight championOn that night, Tyson made Holloway his manager”I told Mike I had to go to Albany because if I didn’t go back I wouldn’t have a job.”Mike held the belts up to me and said, ‘We used to eat baloney together, now we’re going to eat steak. Tell them you quit.”Working alongside Tyson during his hey day was legendary promoter Don King.King and Tyson would fall out over the belief King had stolen money from him.A legal battle which dragged Holloway’s name into the mud ensued, with Tyson eventually getting a $14million payment.Holloway insisted he has nothing but respect for King, who helped them all achieve a privileged position.”I never had a problem with Don,” Holloway divulged.Tyson stands with Holloway, left, John Horn, right, and promoter Don KingWithout Don King, Tyson wouldn’t have made a $500m fortune claimed Hollowayread more sport features”In the sport of boxing, I gathered as much information that I could from him from his experience.”He gave me business acumen, and he understood my position as Mike’s best friend.”Don had an influence on Mike to a certain extent. But Mike really relied on me to deal with Don, as the middle man. There were scrapes, little small issues, but he never really had a problem with Don.”Most of the issues were due to Mike, in my opinion. A lot of people try and say different things, but the fact of the matter for us was that promoter brought us almost $500million. That’s the bottom line.”He allowed us to change trajectory on how much fighters got paid. We revolutionised that and it wouldn’t have happened without Don. “Don was able to leverage the whole Mike Tyson brand. I know what he meant to us.”In 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in an Indiana prison.He would serve three, before being released on parole. Holloway visited him every month to check on his friend.Tyson arrives in court in 1992 to face charges of rapeTyson was released after three years on parole”Mike was always in a very sombre mood (in prison)”, Holloway recalled.”I would drive from New York to Indiana every first week of the month and I would sit down with him for a few hours and talk.”We never discussed anything passed prison. We never discussed what he was going to do when he got out.”It made me come to the conclusion he wasn’t going to box again. He lost so much weight and he didn’t look like Mike Tyson. He must have weighed about 180 pounds.”His eating habits were different. We’d talk about life, our family, where we started and came from, going down memory lane.”Four months before he got out, I found out that he really wanted to fight.”Mike and I came from abject poverty.”All of a sudden you get all this wealth and it’s like a tap, you don’t see it cutting off soon.”When Tyson got out, a huge fortune awaited him. Although, he was already spending up to £50,000 on piece on his new fascination, Tigers.”I don’t know how he came up with this fascination for tigers,” Holloway laughed.”Next thing you know, we had tigers in the house, a leopard… next minute, he was asking about getting a giraffe and a hippo.”We were at the house and tigers were walking around like pets and laying in the garage.Mike Tyson loved owning exotic pets when he was at the top of the fight gameHolloway recalled tigers walking around his home like domestic pets”At one point he talked about buying the house next door, tearing it down and building a big moat with palm trees so the tigers could feel at home.”The background we came from, we never had anything growing up.”Mike and I came from abject poverty. All of a sudden you get all this wealth and it’s like a tap, you don’t see it cutting off soon. Every couple of months, he’s fighting and he’s getting $30million or $40million.”Holloway and Tyson went their separate ways in 1997, which still hurts Holloway today.”Nothing ever happened. It was one of those situations where we just grew apart,” he said.People see you doing good and they want to be in your position.”I was a target, I had that on my head.””When it happened, I think people made a bigger deal out of it than there was. Mike and I never had an argument. It’s just something that happened.”He and I will always have a connection, he’s the godfather to my kids, and I will always support him up close or from afar.”The rumour mill took a toll on me. People saying I allowed people to take advantage of Mike and take his money, that was tough.”Mike would know I would never let that happen intentionally.”Outsiders came in and drew a wedge between us, they had an objective.”People see you doing good and they want to be in your position. I was a target, I had that on my head.READ MORE SUN STORIES”When we went our separate ways, there wasn’t any beef and that never gave me closure. Life has to go on. But that’s something that always lingers inside of me, in my heart.”I had nothing but good times with Mike. He afforded me and my family things that I may never have had, and the journey was amazing.”Holloway and Tyson went their separate ways in 1997Credit: Courtesy of Rory HollowayHolloway admitted he misses his friend, TysonCredit: Courtesy of Rory Holloway More