Hollywood star and huge boxing fan Mark Wahlberg is tipping Mike Tyson to turn back the clock to knock out Jake Paul quickly in his Netflix live fight return.
Wahlberg hopes that the former world heavyweight champion will take out YouTuber Paul in the FIRST ROUND at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, tonight.
The Boston-born keen amateur boxer, who won an Oscar nomination for The Fighter, enjoyed watching Iron Mike demolish opponents in his 80s heyday.
And he dreams of seeing the one time baddest man on the planet display those devastating abilities and power again in the Netflix screened bout, which is costing around £50m.
Wahlberg, speaking exclusively on camera at the official VIP grand opening of his Las Vegas Mexican eatery Flecha Cantina, feels close to helping Sin City becoming a booming movie town.
The 53-year-old, who has enjoyed four decades of hit movies, sees huge potential for the desert gambling and entertainment Mecca.
Reflecting on Tyson’s comeback, Wahlberg said: “I'm watching the fight. I watch pretty much every fight that comes on. I'm a huge fan and obviously huge Mike Tyson fan.
“Hopefully we'll see a little glimpse of the old Mike and it'll be quick. I never complained when I paid $50, a hundred dollars for pay-per-view, and it was one and done in one round.
“That's what I was always hoping for. I do like Jake, I think he's done some interesting things for the sport. He's really created a new niche room himself, but this is Mike Tyson.
Image:
AP)“Obviously he's older. We hope nobody gets hurt, but it would be nice to see a little flash of the old Mike you know.”
Wahlberg, who starred in real life boxer Micky Ward’s 2010 biopic The Fighter, was referring to Tyson’s epic knockout record of 25 wins inside three rounds in his first five years professionally
Wahlberg has thrived since moving to Vegas with wife Rhea Durham and their four children from California in 2022.
He feels that his career opportunities have opened up and he is pushing for Nevada’s legislature to offer tax credits to incentivise studio openings. He has already made two hit films in state.
“We are close. I think. Obviously it's super expensive to shoot in LA. I think what we are trying to create here with building a studio, creating all these jobs, creating a new industry outside of gaming and tourism, what people don't understand is all of the money from the tax credits and the production is going to go back into the community. “All that money is filtering back into the community.
"And for me, the most important thing is, again, I'm trying to encourage people if they want a better way of life to move here permanently.
“So we need long-term tax credits to attract the business and hopefully that will happen.
“I think everybody's got their own agenda, right?
“People, we're trying to convince people why it's important and how we can create thousands and thousands of jobs or bring thousands and thousands of new residents and also hiring great locals because there's so many talented people here. We've already took a little look at the talent pool with making Family Plan here and Flight Risk. There's so many wonderfully talented people both in front of and behind the camera, and hopefully we're getting close.”
Image:
instagram.com/markwahlberg)Wahlberg has balanced Hollywood success on and off camera with successful business ventures.
His company Closest To The Hole oversaw TV smash Entourage about his life, while his Unscripted Ideas production house has made documentaries.
He has a clothing line Municipal, co-owns an Ohio car dealership franchise, has launched his tequila, water and nutrition brands and is an investor in F45 fitness.
His acumen has seen burger chain Wahlburgers grow significantly and now his take on Mexican food Flecha has opened its second location at Town Square, Las Vegas.
“I've had a lot of mistakes. There's been lots of failures along the way, but I think the biggest, most valuable lesson I learned is being in business with the right people.
“So having a chef like Christian or an operator like Randy, we know we have set up ourselves up here for success and we just created something that's super high quality and a great experience for the customer with a great value proposition.
“So when you walk in the door, you got to welcome marg or the ceviche, the food, everything is fantastic.
“Everything is first class and we are catering mostly to locals, which is nice - 75, 80% of our customer is Nevada, the Vegas locals, so we're excited about that. We want to be part of the community.”
Wahlberg hopes to continue contributing to Las Vegas’s cultural and commercial life.
Asked about what he’s “taken away from his move”, he reacted: “It’s just how welcoming people are, how supportive people are. People really kind of support each other.
“There is competition within the restaurant space and other areas, but for the most part, people are super supportive and so to be welcomed with open arms, we want to contribute.
“We want to be a value add to the community, and creating an experience hopefully, that people will really enjoy has been something that we've been on for a long time.”
Finally Wahlberg laughed off social media talk Flecha, which boasts "a fusion of traditional Mexican flavours with innovative twists", had closed after a large fire on its patio on Wednesday night. However there was “only damage to the fire pit and the chair next to it. Thankfully no one was injured.”
He laughed: “It is amazing that created world news. But I guess we are officially the hottest restaurant in Las Vegas.”
English (US) ·