Jake Paul is set to welcome Mike Tyson back to the pro ranks for one night only this winter.
The YouTuber-turned-fighter will face the heavyweight legend on November 15 in Texas with the event, in a first for the sport, being streamed on Netflix.
Despite the magnitude, the bout has received considerable backlash from some fans, fighters and pundits, especially given the near 30-year age gap between competitors.
Matters were made worse when Tyson, 58, was forced to postpone the original fight date on medical grounds, allowing Paul to get more in-ring experience and score his seventh stoppage over former UFC fighter Mike Perry.
Former undisputed middleweight champion and Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins will not be tuning in. He told Fight Hub TV that it was ‘degrading’ to a fighter like Tyson to be part of this ‘sideshow.’
“I don’t like it. I look at Mike different in the way of my era, like people looked at Ali. And I looked at Ali different too, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Robinson.
I think it’s become more of a sideshow, with some sweat, maybe some blood if we lucky. I won’t watch it. I could watch two turtles race and be more excited … It’s because of how I look at Mike Tyson. I shared, not only the ring with Mike Tyson a few times, but the era. Right? A little tip of the era. I just think it degrades him.”
The fight, which will be listed on the professional records of both men, will be contested over eight, two-minute rounds and the pair will sport 14-ounce gloves.
