Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis says Mike Tyson will beat Jake Paul on Friday because the YouTuber isn’t “pure fighter” and does not have the skills or abilities to defeat him.
Lewis knocked out a 35-year-old version of Tyson in June 2002 feeling that he is “not so old,” and he has more than enough of his old form to defeat a new fighter like the 27-year-old Paul.
Lennox predicts victory for Tyson
Watching Tyson work on the pads, I see that his speed is still far superior to Jake’s, and his power is, of course, much better. The range of punches Tyson showed in his open workout on Tuesday was on another level to Paul, who looked nothing like “Iron” Mike in his workout.
Paul looked like a low-level traveler during his training, which is basically it. I mean, he lost to Tommy Fury by split decision in eight rounds last year in February 2023.
The 58-year-old Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) comes out of a 19-year retirement to face the hustler Jake on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. A crowd of 65,000+ Fans are expected to be in the stadium, making it the largest audience that Mike Tyson has ever fought in front of.
It is hard to believe because, given his popularity during his career, he should have fought in front of a bigger audience if his promoters had thought of putting him in stadiums.
“Zero. It’s not a pure fight; it shouldn’t be on any list now,” said Lennox Lewis to Title Sports Network about where Jake Paul is listed as one of the most combative.
You can’t put a YouTuber like Jake, who took up boxing as a side gig to make money, as a serious fighter who belongs on any list of top boxers in the sport. Jake capitalizes on his large social media following on Instagram and YouTube to sell his boxing matches, which so far have mostly been against veteran MMA fighters.
“Mike Tyson will win,” said Lennox to Fox 29predicting a win for Mike Tyson over Jake Paul. “Mike Tyson is not that old. Don’t take it too lightly. We’re a year away… You can fight someone like that and do well because the person you’re fighting is not a real fighter,” Lewis said.
Lennox adds that when Tyson gets close enough to land his power shots, he’ll land with a “10-second combination,” which will put Jake Paul down if either of them land.
