Mike Tyson returns to the ring later this year to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
An initial postponement of the bout due to health issues on Tyson’s part added further worry to those who think that the match-up is inappropriate and dangerous. Despite vocal protest from some of the biggest names in the sport, it has been rescheduled on the biggest stage – The AT&T Stadium, Texas and, in a first for the sport, streamed live on Netflix vis standard subscription.
Tyson – who still holds the record as the youngest ever heavyweight world champion – will be 58 when he steps through the ropes for the eight round fight, three decades older than Paul, who is active in the sport mostly against former MMA fighters.
On the other end of the scale, the division’s oldest ever champion, George Foreman, has weighed in on the event. Asked by NY Fights if ‘Iron’ Mike’s experience should see him drop and stop Paul, ‘Big’ George had little doubt.
“Jake Paul is no pushover and he is not afraid of any of these guys. Time is on his side. So happy for Mike Tyson, he needed this excitement in his life. Everyone is talking about it. Answer to your question: “No.”
That sort of prediction doesn’t deter Tyson, who has promised to turn back the clock and produce the sort of knockout that made him famous back in the eighties.
Many have branded the bout a lose-lose for the hard-hitting Paul, who will either lose to a near-60-year-old man or beat a boxing legend. He remains adamant that he wants to challenge for world titles in the sport.
