Mike Tyson trading blows at 58 and being pursued by a younger, more active fighter remains the hottest topic in the sport of boxing.
The former heavyweight champion returns on November 15, almost two decades after being knocked out twice. Opposition to the comeback is strong, with many high-profile names clarifying their feelings.
Promoter Eddie Hearn is one of the more noticeable after he branded Tyson’s clash with YouTuber Jake Paul ‘sad’—which many fans agreed with. Some even believed that Tyson was being exploited for his name and not because he was in any shape to fight.
Paul’s business partner and one of the event organizers, Nakisa Bidarian, went public with his retort after pointing out that Hearn has one of his main fighters on the card, Katie Taylor.
“I keep getting sent these articles on Eddie Hearn taking shots at [Jake] versus Mike Tyson. How, if you’re involved, do you have no empathy for the sport? I that’s how he’d never be involved in a million years.”
He added, “Eddie, you’re involved, man. You are involved in a big way. Katie Taylor, your most celebrated fighter [maybe Anthony Joshua], is the co-main event. It’s her biggest payday, as you know.”
Bidarian has vented his frustrations more than once over the negativity. However, Paul seems unmoved in his desire to trade blows with an almost sixty-year-old fighter.
On the other hand, Hearn has a vested interest in the event but doesn’t hold a strong enough desire for the main event to remain positive.
Taylor battles Amanda Serrano in the co-feature, a rematch of a Fight of the Year contender previously held at Madison Square Garden. Nonetheless, when responding to Bidarian, Hearn focused only on those who labeled the Matchroom boss a hypocrite for staging Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou earlier this year.
“There’s a bit of a big difference. Francis was an active fighter who basically beat Tyson Fury [in my opinion]. That win gave him all the credibility he needed. Mike is in his 50s, and 20 years ago, he was shot as a fighter.”
Tyson lost to Danny Williams and Kevin McBride in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and looked awful in the process. Since then, an exhibition with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 saw Tyson spend more time clinching than fighting.
Furthermore, the only comparison in age to what Tyson aims to achieve comes from old rival Evander Holyfield. ‘The Real Deal’ returned in 2021 at the same age and was knocked out in 109 seconds.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
