Mike Tyson was prepared to bring his fight with Jake Paul to a dramatic head a day early, after slapping the YouTuber-turned-boxer during a heated final face-off ahead of their highly anticipated showdown in Texas.

The iconic former heavyweight champion, Tyson, 58, weighed in at 228.4lbs, boasting of an impressive shape despite his years away from the ring.

Wearing nothing but a pair of Versace briefs, Tyson stood tall and imposing just before Paul, 27, stepped onto the scales at a career-heaviest 227.2lbs —almost two stone heavier than his usual fighting weight.

Tensions boiled over as the two combatants squared off for their final stare-down before the fight.

In a shocking turn of events, Tyson slapped Paul across the face before the social media star could even close the distance for their traditional face-off.

The slap sent shockwaves through the arena and sparked a near-brawl on stage, as security and both fighter’s entourages rushed in to separate the pair.

Meanwhile, Tyson, ever the enigma, was calmly guided away by his team.

But before exiting the stage, Tyson sent out a chilling warning to his opponent: “The talking’s over.”

Paul, who has parlayed his YouTube fame into a career in professional boxing, wasted no time responding to Tyson’s challenge.

Speaking to broadcaster Ariel Helwani, Paul dismissed Tyson’s slap as “cute” and vowed to knock out the boxing legend the following night.

“I didn’t even feel it,” Paul said of the slap. “He’s an angry little elf. Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap, buddy, but tomorrow you’re getting knocked the f*** out.”

The animosity between the two is palpable, with Paul escalating his rhetoric to another level.

“I’m fing him up, Ariel. I’m fing him up. He hits like a b***h! It’s personal now, it’s personal now. He must die.”

The two will step into the ring on Friday night for a scheduled eight-round, two-minute-per-round contest, with larger 14oz gloves instead of the usual 10oz.