After gaining notoriety for a Texas decision to license the fight, Mike Tyson has four minutes to take out Jake Paul in their July 20 professional contest.
As World Boxing News gathered the information from an exclusive interview with the Texas Department of License and Regulation, the boxing world reacted with polarizing opposites.
Either Tyson is going to pulverize Paul, or the YouTuber is going to have free reign to beat up a nearly 60-year-old man, depending on which one you read.
WBN believes Tyson is good for two rounds at his age, which is a lot more time than his rival Evander Holyfield got. Paul and Tyson will fight over eight two-minute rounds, giving Tyson four minutes to end Jake Paul before he runs out of steam.
Holyfield lasted 109 seconds at the same age as Tyson against Vitor Belfort. The difference there was Holyfield was hurt with almost the first punch of the fight. Ultimately, it was a massacre as “The Real Deal” failed to get a foothold in the fight and succumbed to his lack of punch resistance.
Tyson seemed to be able to take a punch, having fought Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, but the gas tank is the worry, as the well could run dry pretty quickly. If you take Tyson’s training clips into account, there’s not much to go on. They only last a few seconds and don’t indicate whether “The Baddest Man on the Planet” can do more than a round or two. All we have to go on is history.
Holyfield is one example. Scot England is another. England was licensed d to box in Texas last December as he aimed to break the world record for a welterweight fighter. England was taken out in 47 seconds. Therefore, even giving Mike Tyson four minutes is generous.
Jake Paul can punch. He’s proven that. So, the fight will only depend on how much Mike can take. If Tyson takes the first few punches and doesn’t feel any effects, there’s a chance he could go three rounds, but that may come down to Paul’s discretion.
The odds of the fight reflect the uncertainty in Tyson’s ability at his age. When would a former heavyweight champion ever be the underdog against a YouTuber? It simply wouldn’t happen.
Tyson is dicing with a potentially bad knockout in what would be a shocking end to his history-making career.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay. Learn more, read all articles from the experienced boxing writer, and follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
