The boxing world continues to discuss Mike Tyson‘s underwhelming and controversial return against Jake Paul.
Whilst ‘Iron’ Mike’s performance told fans that not even he can beat Father Time, was there anything to be learned about Paul – who moves forward with a record of 11-1 – and his craft?
Speaking on his podcast in the aftermath, early days Tyson coach and famed analyst Teddy Atlas summed up the younger man’s performance.
“Paul played it safe.”
Atlas then said that the strategy the YouTuber-turned-fighter used was the correct one even for Tyson’s prime years, though he knows the outcome would have been different back then.
“Paul fought the kind of strategy I would have him fight. I’m not knocking Paul at all, I’m not knocking Tyson either. He fought the fight he should fight. On the outside, stay away from the puncher, make the old man use his legs. When people are old their legs go, he couldn’t close the gaps. Stay away from the power, pick your spots, keep him off balance. Same way you would when he was young. Except he wasn’t young anymore, because the young Tyson would’ve cut the ring down.”
Finally, he said he believes Paul ‘carried’ Tyson but wouldn’t commit to the reason why.
“He won easy but the ending, could that have been different? Yeah, if he followed up more … Why? Because there was an agreement? Because he respected him too much? Because he was afraid of making a mistake? One of those things.”
Fresh off the record-breaking numbers for the event, Paul has been called out by a host of boxing names including undisputed light-heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev.
