Mike Tyson says he is betting on himself to defeat Jake Paul in their main event fight on Friday night. He doesn’t say how much he’s betting on himself, but says it’s “quite a bit.”
The oddsmakers have installed Jake (10-1, 7 KOs) as the favorite over the 58-year-old Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) for their eight-round fight, and it’s understandable why. Tyson looks like a person closer to 70 than 60, and a big reason for that is the hard life he’s had in the 19 years he’s been out of the ring.
Mike bets on himself
A younger version of Tyson would destroy Youtuber Jake Paul in 20 seconds of the first round, but as much as “Iron” Mike looks right now, it doesn’t bode well for him on Friday. Mike will probably last more than three or four rounds against Paul, unless the latter doesn’t deal with him and doesn’t push hard.
There’s still a chance that will happen because fans who watched Tyson’s exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. they saw a fight that looked more like one choreographed theatrical drama.
Jake vs. Tyson will meet in an eight-round fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event will be shown live on Netflix. On the undercard, Amanda Serrano will face Katie Taylor in a rematch. Also on the card is WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, defending against Abel Ramos.
“It’s good, I don’t care. I bet on myself,” said Mike Tyson Manouk Akopyanreacts to being told he is the underdog for his fight against Jake Paul this Friday night. “There’s enough,” said an annoyed-looking Tyson when asked if there’s a specific amount he’s betting on himself.
“I’m sure he would have done well,” Tyson said about whether he would have done well in this era of the heavyweight division.
If Tyson is going to continue to do these shows against YouTubers or other fighters, he’s going to need to produce because the fans aren’t going to want to keep paying to watch him fight if he gets knocked out, quits, or fights in some way which looks fake that it is not a real match.
Tyson’s power will be a surprise
“I deal with the reality that I have to fight in a particular way. It’s quite (the same). The only difference is that I have more massages now,” said Tyson about the difference between training at 58 years old compared to when he was younger. “Yeah, a lot of therapy.”
Tyson can’t fight like he used to when he was a young fighter 30 years ago, and he has to adapt to do what he can at his age. If the 27-year-old Jake can push a fast pace, he could knock Tyson out of there.
“I was born to do this. I was born to sell out stadiums. This is all I’ve ever wanted to do my whole life,” Tyson said of being able to sell out stadiums.
I don’t think it’s bad. You will be surprised,” said Tyson about how his power is at his age. “Monday and Wednesday, I sparred eight rounds. So, I go the distance every day in the gym.”
