Tony Bellew confirms clash at Paul v Tyson press conference: ‘It’s not talk, it’s a promise’

The former world champion, standing in the crowd, interrupted a journalist in an apparent bid to mock Paul

Tony Bellew crashed the press conference for Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson on Wednesday, holding a “Fisher Price” microphone as he was accompanied by an old man in boxing gloves – before the pair were kicked out.

Britain’s Bellew, a former world champion, was in the crowd wearing a t-shirt showing the logo of a betting site, and he was standing alongside an older man in a boxing robe and gloves. Bellew also had a microphone, with which he spoke over a journalist who was asking a question inside Toyota Music Factory.

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Bellew’s words were difficult to hear, but he appeared to call Paul a “clown”, while host Ariel Helwani tried to drown out the 41-year-old, comparing Bellew’s microphone to a “Fisher Price” toy.

Bellew and the older man were then escorted out of the venue, as Bellew continued to talk – but without his microphone.

“They were all big boys,” Bellew told Talk Sport afterwards. “One gave me a little push and I said, ‘just don't touch me, I'm going to walk quite happily boys, but just don't put your hands on me.’ He said, ‘Okay’. When we got to the policeman with the gun in his waist, the guy gave me a little shove in the back.

“And I said, 'You're an absolute coward.' He must have been 6ft 8ins. I said, 'Do you understand what I would do to you?' His mate was like, 'All talk.' I said, 'It's not a talk, it's a promise, I would annihilate three of you at once, now please don't do it.'

“The policeman said, 'You're a fighter aren't you? I can tell by how calm you was around them big boys.' I said, 'I'm not really bothered by them, they don't intimidate me.'”

Earlier in the week, a skit involving Bellew was released, with ‘The Bomber’ training elderly citizens in a bid to find Paul’s “next opponent”.

Paul, 27, will box Tyson, 58, at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Friday, 19 years after "Iron Mike" last fought professionally.

Tony Bellew, a former world champion boxer, pictured in 2020 (Getty Images)

The heavyweight icon did compete in an exhibition bout as recently as 2020, against Roy Jones Jr, but some fear for Tyson's health here – particularly after his fight with Paul was delayed earlier this year, when Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up on a plane.

Meanwhile, YouTube star Paul has gone 10-1 as a pro boxer in recent years, mainly beating MMA fighters and lesser-known boxers. His sole loss was a points defeat by Tommy Fury – half-brother of Tyson Fury – in 2023.

Paul vs Tyson will stream live on Netflix on Friday, as the pair clash at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, with up to 80,000 fans in attendance.