As the highly anticipated clash between Jake Paul and ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson draws closer, concerns over the latter’s health and conditioning continue to grow.
It’s been nearly 20 years since Tyson last competed in a professional boxing bout. On Friday, November 15, the former unified heavyweight world champion will step back into the ring inside the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium for a showdown with Paul, a fighter 31 years younger than himself.
Upon its initial announcement, the fight faced significant scrutiny due to the massive age gap between the two combatants. Once Tyson was forced to back out of the originally scheduled July 20 date due to a medical emergency in May, many within the combat sports community began calling for the fight to be scrapped altogether.
That includes former two-division world champion Paulie Malignaggi who believes that if things go sideways in The Lone Star State, it could lead to strong calls for a ban on the sport.
“Head blows from young, strong guys at Mike’s age aren’t good,” Malignaggi told talkSPORT. “When you’re younger, you can handle hits better. When you’re older, your body isn’t made for that kind of damage anymore. Things could go badly wrong. If something like that happened, people would be calling for the sport to be banned.
“Personally, I don’t think his fight with Jake Paul should happen. He’ll be 58 years old by then. 58 is still 58. We live in a generation that doesn’t understand aging is a real thing. You can show highlights of Mike from the 80s, but the guy stepping into the ring won’t be that same Mike Tyson.”
Is Mike Tyson Taking an Unnecessary Risk by Fighting Jake Paul?
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Mike Tyson can still produce the power necessary to knock someone out with one shot inside the squared circle. However, the real question is: will Tyson have enough gas in the tank to catch someone young, tough, and in their athletic prime?
“Jake Paul might not be world-class, but he’s certainly not a novice. He’s been boxing for about five years. After four years of boxing, I won the U.S. National Championships, so Jake’s far from a beginner. He’s strong and young. Hitting someone Tyson’s age has serious risks.
“Tyson wasn’t taking punches well at 36, let alone now. If you hit a guy who’s that old, it affects them. Imagine what getting hit by a strong guy like Jake would do to him. I wouldn’t want to find out.”
Check out a montage of Mike Tyson’s training ahead of his collision with ‘The Problem Child’ below:
