Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was warned off making a boxing comeback by his children.
‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ is due to square off against Jake Paul on November 15 as he competes in a professional matchup for the first time since 2005. The 58-year-old is a clear underdog to get the better of an opponent 30 years his junior, but it’s not the first comeback he’s had in recent years.
Tyson first put the gloves back on in November 2020 when he faced fellow legend Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition showdown. ‘Iron Mike’ was four years younger and didn’t have as much at stake on that occasion, yet his children still told him to ditch his plans.
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“My kids think I should sit my old a– down, but what do they know,” he said to American talk show host Jimmy Fallon in 2020. “I’m very confident. They don’t know how to fight, neither one of my kids can beat me in a fight, so what are they talking about?”
Tyson has six children with four different women: Mikey, Rayna, Amir, Miguel, Milan, and Morocco. They range from as young as 13 to as old as 34, with his eldest child, Mikey, born in 1990. The boxing icon did have a seventh child, daughter Exodus, in 2005. However, she tragically died at the age of four when she was strangled by the power cord of a treadmill, which unsurprisingly had a profound effect on Tyson.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul go head-to-head in an eight-round bout on November 15
The former heavyweight kingpin fought Jones Jr to a split draw over eight rounds when they met almost exactly four years ago. And many fans would be happy if he managed to see out all eight two-minute rounds against Paul later this month. There are concerns the veteran – who isn’t far from reaching pension age – has bitten off more than he can chew by going up against Paul.
While the former Disney actor hasn’t defeated any boxers of real note, the Ohio native boasts a significant stamina advantage and has knocked out numerous of his foes to date. If Tyson’s kids were worried about his wellbeing leading up the clash against Jones, anxiety will have hit even greater heights this time around. And they aren’t alone among those who would rather the clash between Tyson and Paul wasn’t going ahead at all.
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