Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson has confessed that if roles were reversed, and he was 27, he wouldn’t dream of fighting a 58-year-old.
“Iron Mike” is set to step back into the ring next month against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, with the duo slated to duke it out on November 15 at the AT&T Arena in Arlington, Texas before an audience of up to 90,000 fans. The bout will be a heavyweight clash fought over eight two-minute rounds.
The pair were originally scheduled to face off earlier this year, but Tyson, 58, had to withdraw due to an inflamed ulcer. His doctors advised him to halt training, but he’s since returned to the gym and feels he’s fit and ready to take on the 27-year-old.
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Since the fight’s confirmation, many have expressed concern for ‘Iron Mike’s’ health and criticized the 31-year age difference between the fighters.
Tyson’s last fight was an exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, and the boxing legend hasn’t participated in a professional bout since 2005. As for “The Problem Child,” he knocked out former UFC fighter Mike Perry in July in his most recent fight.
With the age difference being a significant factor in the upcoming fight, Tyson recently took the opportunity to call out his future opponent. At a recent press conference, “Iron Mike” was asked how the fight would unfold if he was 27 and Paul was 58, to which the American replied: “Well, I’d never fight a 58-year-old if I was 27.”
Tyson believes he can beat Paul (
Getty Images for Netflix)
In a recent talkSPORT interview, Paul addressed the criticism surrounding his upcoming bout with Tyson. “First and foremost, I think it’s disrespectful to Mike, first and foremost,” he stated.
“And then I would say to them ‘Get in the ring with him’. If Mike wants to fight, then Mike wants to fight. If he wants to make it a pro fight then, ‘Okay! ‘ I wanna fight Mike Tyson, that’s legendary. It’s an honour to be in the ring with him, and if he wants the fight to be a pro fight then, ‘Okay, let’s do it’.”
He continued: “You look at his training videos, look at him on the mitts, you look at him in person he has a 30lb weight advantage and is giant strong. So, people can say what they want about it, but they are still going to watch.
“I get the old guard and old people wanna see me lose. At the end of the day, that’s what makes this fight interesting, the two generations coming together. I think 30 years and older want Mike Tyson [to win], 25 and younger want me to win. That’s what makes it very interesting.”
With the countdown ticking to fight night, not everyone is convinced that ‘Iron Mike’ is taking his upcoming bout with full gravitas. Mike Tyson admitted during a sit-down on Jimmy Kimmel’s show that he’s pushing himself to the limits with an intense regimen: “I am training extremely hard, I do six hours a day. I start at 11am and might leave the gym at 5pm.”
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