Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will never fight each other as the whole promotion boosts the younger YouTuber’s name.
That’s the view of former Tyson rival Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch, who took to TikTok to call Paul out for a fight himself. Butterbean is convinced Paul vs Tyson won’t occur on November 15 in Texas, and something will happen over the next few weeks to derail the event completely.
Esch, linked to fighting Tyson during the 1990s and early 2000s, made a bold statement on the Netflix headliner.
“Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are never going to fight each other,” claimed Butterbean. “That [event] has been a scam from the very beginning just to boost Jake’s name. You can’t blame them because it has. This guy [Paul], everybody’s talking about him now, but he’s never going fight Mike Tyson.”
Esch added, “They were never planning on fighting each other because a promoter would never let him fight anyone else in between a fight [against Tyson]. Never [happening], but it’s not that big a fight, and it’s been a scam from the beginning.”
Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul in jeopardy
World Boxing News has long predicted that the Paul vs. Tyson fight wouldn’t go over the line. There are far too many negatives and too few positives to staging the match-up. Tyson is not in one hundred percent health at 58, despite what ten-second clips on social media say.
A stomach ulcer, which flared up to delay the fight for over four months, is not an ailment that can be brushed off. It’s serious, and if Paul hits Tyson in the midsection, a rupture would land the former heavyweight champion in hospital for major surgery. If it ruptures badly, the ulcer could even be fatal.
There’s no way any sanctioning body would gain the insurance to cover Tyson. The only way the event is conceivable is with modified rules [no hitting in the stomach] and if both fighters agree to cover their own insurance.
Nonetheless, the promotion continues this weekend when Tyson faces Paul again in another press conference at Fanatics Fest in New York. More shenanigans are expected as the pair discuss a fight that has crossed the line to casual and younger fans, who will be the vast majority of the viewers if it goes ahead.
WBN has asked doctors in Los Angeles to comment on Tyson’s stomach problem, only to be told they don’t want to comment, leading to further doubts that the aged legend will get clearance.
As the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation previously told WBN, Tyson still has to pass a final evaluation closer to the fight date. He remains licensed to box, but that could alter before the first bell rings in anger.
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.
