Boxing legend Mike Tyson has been urged to knock Jake Paul out if the fight on November 15 in Arlington, Texas, eventually happens.
Tyson, 58, is coming out of a four-year exhibition retirement to battle the former Disney child actor in his first professional bout in two decades. The event, televised on Netflix, has caused controversy around the world.
‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ has been enticed by the almighty dollar to risk his health [suffering from a stomach ulcer] against a fighter over thirty years his junior. Despite his lack of boxing skills, Paul has a solid punch that would trouble any boxer approaching their sixties.
Calls for the fight to be scrapped continue to hit the headlines, with the latest from ex-Tyson rival Butterbean claiming the Paul event will never go ahead.
If it does happen, former two-weight world champion Timothy Bradley, now an ESPN commentator, hopes Tyson takes the influencer down a peg.
“Mike Tyson, knock his a** out, baby! At first, I thought about it. I was like, this is kind of crazy, but then I saw the rules. It said knockouts, knockdowns. It’s official, it can happen,” Bradley told ProBox TV.
The fight will be one minute less than the regular three-minute rounds, and Bradley believes this could help the youngest heavyweight champion ever.
“Two minutes is going to favor Mike Tyson. Two minutes instead of three, no doubt about it. Think about it: a two-minute drill. He comes out in the first four rounds like he’s always blazing, Mike Tyson, getting him against the ropes, banging him to the body, hitting him with power shots, come on, man. He has the potential to knock this man out. You know that the power is the last thing that leaves you.
“This is Mike Tyson we’re talking about. Two minutes, that’s all it takes. He can get the knockout. Knock that Disney Boy the hell out,” the recently inducted Boxing Hall of Famer concluded.
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation head Tela Mange exclusively told World Boxing News that Tyson still needs to pass pre-fight medicals, which will occur in the run-up to the fight.
Mange told WBN, “As I think I’ve said before, the Department will stay informed about the health of the combatants and will obtain more information if needed to protect their health and safety.
“In addition to pre-licensing medical screening, TDLR’s ringside physicians also conduct pre-fight physicals before the event. TDLR rules state that licensure does not automatically authorize an individual to participate in an event if their health or safety could be compromised.”
‘Iron’ Mike and Paul square off this weekend at Fanatics Fest in a bid to refresh the memory of those who forgot they were fighting due to a four-month delay stemming from Tyson’s ulcer.
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.
