At first, some thought it was a joke, others thought it was a publicity stunt, but now we have come to the reality that this will happen, as YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul is set to face the former world heavyweight twice . champion “Iron” Mike Tyson on Friday night, November 15.
The site of this highly anticipated event is AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and it will air live on Netflix. For the record, the Paul vs. Tyson match is not a show. It is a professional boxing match that has been officially sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.
Jake Paul’s presence in the fight game has received mixed reactions from the boxing community. The good thing is that his promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions, has provided a platform for new boxers, but the bad thing is that Paul’s personal career has made a mockery of the sport.
In his first professional match in January 2020, Paul knocked out a YouTuber; then he went on to stop NBA baller Nate Robinson. In his next four fights, Paul collected victories against former MMA fighters who were old and past their prime.
After receiving criticism for not fighting opponents who are real boxers, Jake Paul signed up to face rookie boxer Tommy Fury. Paul scored a knockdown in the fight, but Fury’s jab and a one-two combination helped him secure the win.
After losing to Fury, Paul went back to his old playbook as he defeated 38-year-old former MMA champion Nate Diaz. After defeating Diaz, Paul collected KO victories against two unknown boxers, and in his most recent contest, he defeated the naked fighter Mike Perry.
Now Jake Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) is on the verge of facing a Hall of Famer boxer who is decades past his prime. With the fight date getting closer and closer, some fans are starting to ask the question, will 27-year-old Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson?
A native of Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, 20-year-old Mike Tyson made history in 1986 when he became the youngest boxer to win the world heavyweight title. At the age of 21, Tyson collected all three belts and became the undisputed champion.
With his explosiveness and punching power, Mike Tyson ruled the heavyweight division for four years. After losing his first fight to Buster Douglas in February 1990, Mike Tyson was able to eventually bounce back and become a two-time champion.
Mike Tyson is a legend in the sport of boxing, and comparing his resume to Jake Paul’s resume is rather ridiculous. However, in 2024, a match between Paul and Tyson that ends in a knockout of Jake Paul is realistic because of Tyson’s age and because of the way his career ended 19 years ago.
In July 2004, Danny Williams knocked out Mike Tyson in the fourth round. Danny Williams has lost 7 of his last 9 fights. Eleven months later in his fight against Kevin McBride, Tyson was so tired that he left the stool after the 6th round. Kevin McBride would go on to lose 6 of his next 8 fights.
It is a fact that at this point and time, Jake Paul has the skills to beat Mike Tyson, and also possesses the punching power necessary to knock out Mike Tyson. It is also a fact that Tyson is a legend and is known as “The baddest man on the planet”, but according to his birth certificate he is 58 years old.
Mike Tyson fans got excited when they saw training footage of Tyson showing his hand speed, punching power, and physical condition of his body. Actually, what Mike Tyson showed was good body condition and hand speed for a man who is 58 years old.
The training footage was fun to watch, but it featured some red flags. For example, we saw a clip of Tyson dropping his sparring partner, but the sparring partner made no attempt to defend himself.
Going into this fight, the biggest questions are Tyson’s stamina and his punch resistance. If Jake Paul is able to survive Tyson’s initial attack, Paul should be able to win this fight. If Tyson can’t end the fight quickly, the question becomes, will Paul win by decision or by knockout?
For Tyson fans, if Jake Paul defeats Mike Tyson by decision, it would be heartbreaking, but if Jake Paul is able to get the last bragging rights of defeating Mike Tyson, that would be diabolical.
