Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has confessed that he will be praying for Mike Tyson’s safety in his upcoming clash with Jake Paul.

The much-anticipated face-off between the two boxing giants is set to take place on Friday, November 15 at the ATandT Stadium in Dallas, Texas, with an expected crowd of up to 80,000 spectators. The fight was initially scheduled for July, but ‘Iron Mike’ had to pull out due to an ulcer flare-up during a flight two months before the original date.

Tyson hasn’t stepped into the ring for a professional match since his defeat to former Irish boxer Kevin McBride in 2005. However, he did participate in an exhibition match against fellow boxing icon Roy Jones Jr four years ago. The last time the 58-year-old tasted victory was in 2003 against Clifford Etienne.

On the other hand, Paul, also known as ‘The Problem Child’, made his professional debut in 2020 and has been fairly active in the ring since then. The 27-year-old has already claimed victories over Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and Ben Askren. With a record of 10-1, his only loss came from Tommy Fury last year on points.

Since the announcement of the match, there has been widespread criticism mainly due to the significant 31-year age difference between the two fighters. Concerns for Tyson’s health have been mounting, especially after the 58 year old recently admitted to struggling with mobility post-training.

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British heavyweight titan Joshua has weighed in on the much-anticipated fight, backing the younger fighter, Paul, to triumph this week. Joshua mentioned, “He’s [Mike Tyson] older now. I pray that he comes out healthy. I think Jake Paul because of youth-that’s the only thing.”

Mike Tyson on the pads

Mike Tyson on the pads ahead of the fight ( 

Image:

AP)

While critics have not shied away from dismissing the event, Fury finds value in the spectacle and considers it a positive affair, assuming detractors are just green with envy. In a chat with ProBoxingFans, Fury offered, “I think it’s a fantastic event. Anyone who don’t think it’s a fantastic event is jealous,” adding that people often criticize what they’re not part of financially.

He further explained his perspective: “Mainly people who ain’t getting paid from it will be jealous, obviously, because it’s not them. So, they’d probably speak bad about it. But, obviously, I’m not involved in it, I’m not getting paid from it, but I can see a massive event on a large scale when I see it and I can appreciate that. I appreciate Mike performing at his age and I appreciate Jake performing and bringing so many eyeballs to boxing.”

In a chat with MMA Fighting leading up to the anticipated match with Oleksandr Usyk in May, ‘The Gypsy King’ didn’t hold back on commending the fight, now set to be shown live on Netflix. “Only jealous fighters [feel weird about the showdown],” he stated.

“Negative people who are not making any money. I think it’s fantastic. It’s created a lot of money. I get to see the legend in Mike Tyson back in the ring in my era… I know [Jake and Logan Paul have] a lot of haters, however, I’m not one of them.”