Jake Paul is back to fighting big names.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has made a career out of knocking down fellow influencers, NBA and UFC stars since first stepping into the ring in 2019. As of late, Paul (9-1) has shown he can hang with pro boxers as well, stopping Andre August and Ryan Bourland in his last two outings.
This time last week, it was announced that the 27 year-old will face the legendary Mike Tyson… three decades past his prime. ‘Iron’ Mike will be 58 years old by the time they fight this summer and on top of that, the former champ’s last fight came in 2005.
Cormier Says Paul Can’t Really Win In This Scenario
Former UFC Champion Daniel Cormier, who has had his own run-in with ‘The Problem Child’ before, doesn’t think this is Paul’s brightest idea.
“It might ruin you if he just beats on Mike Tyson. He’s in a no-win situation,” Cormier said to co-host Ben Askren on his YouTube channel. “I don’t know that he thought this one through as much as he probably should have been, because if you just go out there and you just beat the s*** outta Mike Tyson. Everybody’s gonna be really mad at you. I mean, really mad.”
Ex-UFC star and former ONE & Bellator Champion Ben Askren was the first fighter to fall to Jake Paul after beatdowns of Aneson Gib and basketball star Nate Robinson. Askren, known for his wrestling, was taken out on the feet in the very first round of their 2021 encounter.
‘Why Am I Watching This?’
Like Cormier, Askren could see this matchup taking a turn for the worst and it’s not his former foe he’s worried about.
“Yes, I don’t disagree,” Askren replied to Cormier. “Especially if it’s kind of like, I don’t wanna say like disrespectful because it’s fighting. So there, there probably shouldn’t be that much respect. But, if you say Tyson gasses and he starts looking really bad, and he’s just kinda like picking ’em apart, like that’s gonna be something that people say, f*** this pay-per-view. Why am I watching this? This is awful. I don’t wanna watch this. This looks terrible.”
Cormier added: “If he knocks Mike out, like if he just like starches Mike Tyson, it might be over.”
Askren: Paul vs. Tyson ‘Kinda A Turn-Off’
After back-to-back fights with relatively unknown boxers, Askren thinks this is an attempt by Paul to capture the public’s attention once again on a much larger scale. Come July 20th, Paul vs. Tyson will stream on Netflix, which has more than 260 million subscribers worldwide.
Despite the viewership, Askren isn’t on board with Tyson getting punched in the face by his least-favorite influencer.
“He feels the need to do this to pump up fights, right? For like entertainment sake. I think he thinks people like this, but it’s like, it’s really, for most people, I don’t know. It’s kinda a turn-off. Especially I would say, you know, Mike Tyson, he’s had this really funny path through his life, but at this point in time, I think he’s someone who’s really, really revered and loved.
“I don’t think you’re gonna find a lot of people at this point in time who don’t like Mike Tyson. Even if at some point in their life they didn’t like him, he’s just freaking lovable. I don’t know what there is. Like, how do you not like Mike Tyson? Everyone likes him.”
“He’s very lovable and that’s the danger in this fight,” Cormier responded. “I don’t know. I think Jake Paul might have made a mistake on this one. Cause if he beats up on Mike, dude is in trouble.”
DC Hopes Tyson Bites Paul
If push comes to shove though, Daniel Cormier jokes Mike Tyson could always take a bite from Jake Paul’s ear like he did against Evander Holyfield in 1997.
“Even though he’s measured now, he’s still Mike Tyson,” Cormier went on. “And if s*** goes crazy, I hope Mike bite that motherf*****, son. If he starts beating Mike and Mike bites him, that would make my life!”