Mike Tyson is on the path to being knocked out by a 27-year-old YouTuber if the aged former heavyweight champion isn’t protected.
The facts presented regarding a fight against Jake Paul on July 20 point to Tyson being punished and stopped by a wannabe boxer not fit to lace up his gloves. You only have to look at Tyson’s history and the whole exhibition genre to notice that the Netflix event is not a good idea.
By the time he enters the ring this summer, Tyson will be 58. It’s the same age Tyson’s career rival Evander Holyfield was when he was pounded into submission by Vitor Belfort in just 109 seconds. In a nutshell, Paul has a massive upper hand due to Tyson’s inability to move around the ring for an extended period, his lack of punch resistance, and his previously weak chin.
It’s no secret that Tyson was highly vulnerable at the end of his career. Even in 1990, when the myth of Tyson being indestructible was blown out of the water by James ‘Buster’ Douglas, the cracks appeared for “The Baddest Man on the Planet” at age 24.
Holyfield then stopped him, minus an ear-bite fight, before Lennox Lewis gave him the worst beatdown of his career in 2002. However, rock bottom was yet to come for the New Yorker.
The unheralded Danny Williams put him on his backside in 2004 before Kevin McBride firmly closed the door on any all-time-great heavyweight conversations regarding Tyson.
Now, there is a difference between 2004 Tyson and 2024 Tyson. He’s no longer under the influence of anything too bad, as he admitted to being for the Williams fight. Tyson mostly smokes his home-grown daily, which won’t make a massive difference performance-wise.
The most concerning thing is the age factor. Anyone at 58 would find it difficult against a 27-year-old mobile and in-shape opponent. It’s simply not a fair fight, and that’s how Paul seems to like it.
What does Mike Tyson stand to gain from facing Paul anyway? – Not much, apart from the dollars he will bank that Tyson probably doesn’t need. If Paul does manage to get Tyson out there early, the ex-world titleholder will never live that down. At least Holyfield was beaten by a bonafide world champion fighting in Belfort.
Losing to Paul, who lost to also-ran exhibition fighter Tommy Fury, will be a disaster for one of the most recognized names in our great sport. The only saving grace would be any pre-fight agreement not to go for it full-on.
It’s hoped by many that the event never makes it to the light of day ahead of function tests and pre-fight formalities before the formal announcement gets made.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay. Learn more and read all articles from the experienced boxing writer.
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