One of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, Lennox Lewis, has no issue picking one of his former opponents, Mike Tyson, to defeat Jake Paul when they exchange blows at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on November 15.
Though the bout is relatively fitting in the modern era of crossover boxing, in which YouTubers and MMA fighters collide in a boxing-rules format, the Tyson and Paul fight is particularly controversial due to the 31-age gap between Tyson, 58, and Paul, 27.
Rather than dwell on the negatives, Lewis looked at the revenue such an event would generate for both participants.
“I’m happy for them. They’re going to make a good bag,” said Lewis in an interview with Fox 29 Philadelphia.
“A lot of kids love Jake Paul, and a lot of kids love Tyson. They want to see what’s going to happen in the ring to both of them — me too.”
Tyson and Paul have competed together, albeit in separate matches, on the same card before.
“The Lockdown Knockdown” brought together retired boxers, creators, and basketball players. Organizers staged a fun exhibition event at Staples Center in Los Angeles during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An unofficial match between Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. was ruled a split draw. In the co-main event, Paul kickstarted his highlight reel with a nasty knockout win over the former New York Knicks point guard Nate Robinson.
Since then, Tyson and Paul have remained close and featured on one of Paul’s rap videos together called South Park Freestyle. Now, though, they’ll throw punches at each other — and Lewis believes Tyson will have the better of the exchanges.
“Mike Tyson is going to win,” said Lewis. “Mike Tyson is not that old. Don’t take him too softly.
He continued: “You can probably fight somebody like that and do well because they’re not a true fighter, and there’s a hundred things you’ve forgotten that he’s learning.”
Though Lewis said he was slightly concerned, Paul would gain an edge for the longer the fight goes. But he’s confident that if Tyson caught the creator clean on the chin, he’d be in all kinds of hell.
“Age will be a determining factor if the fight goes too long. But if Mike comes with a ten-second combination and catches him, he’s 100% [getting dropped to the canvas].”
He finished by remarking that he doesn’t want Paul “to get hurt.”
Alan Dawson is World Boxing News Lead Writer, a 2 x Sports Journalist of the Year finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Follow Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
