Mike Tyson and Jake Paul compete in a boxing match unlike any other.
The world still watches Jake Paul, the former Disney star and YouTuber who has taken over social media since switching to boxing in 2020, whether you like him or not.
Six of the 27-year-old’s victories have come via knockout, giving him a professional 10-1 record. Paul will face former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in what could be his most well-known bout to date on Friday.
In a CNN interview, Paul stated, “I believe I will knock him out in the fifth or sixth round.” “I have to take care of business, even though I love Mike.”
The bout between the two was originally planned for July of this year, but it was postponed after Tyson’s ulcer flared up on a flight.
The fight between Tyson and Paul, which consists of eight rounds of two minutes each, is scheduled to start at approximately 11 p.m. ET on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The main card of the event will start at 8:30 p.m. ET. If you have a Netflix account, you can view it for free.
The bout has caused controversy in the combat sports community, despite Paul being somewhat favored to win. One of the largest promoters in the sport and the CEO of Matchroom, Eddie Hearn, has been particularly critical.
Hearn told Fight Hub TV, “He (Tyson) is 58 years old. I find it very sad, but it’s a big event.” I am aware that people will watch it. I suppose it’s amusement, but it’s not the finest day for someone who grew up idolizing the guy.
Superstar boxers Canelo Álvarez, Oleksandr Usyk, and Dmitry Bivol are represented by British promoter Hearn. Katie Taylor, who is competing on the undercard for Paul vs. Tyson, is also represented by him.
However, Hearn’s client Anthony Joshua, a former heavyweight world champion, has a very different take on the bout.
Joshua stated on the Jonathan Ross Show, “I think it’s really good.” “I believe that the boxing aficionados and hardcores dislike it because they ask, ‘Why are they disparaging our sport?'”
“Suppose we split this group in half. Half of them are die-hard boxing fans, and the other half are fans of a particular YouTuber. However, that individual attracts all of these individuals to boxing, which is advantageous for everyone else in the business,” Joshua added.
The age difference between Paul and Tyson has also drawn criticism. Tyson will be thirty-one years older than Paul at the time of the fight.
Despite being the more seasoned combatant, Tyson hasn’t dominated the ring in decades. In contrast, Paul is getting close to his physical prime.
The former YouTuber stated in an interview with CNN that he wants to win the boxing world championship, but will facing Tyson at the age of 58 benefit or hinder his efforts?
“Going in there with one of the most vicious and ruthless champions ever and getting that experience under my belt, I think it helps,” Paul said.
“It will only increase my experience level to be able to set up a camp and go in there under the bright lights against one of the greatest to ever do,” he added. “The more time I spend in the sport, the more lethal I get as I keep getting better behind the scenes in each camp.”
During his professional career, Tyson was renowned for his vicious knockouts, decisively defeating boxing greats like Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes. In February 2003, he knocked out Clifford Etienne in the first round, marking his final professional triumph. In November 2020, he fought Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match that ended in a tie.
Ahead of the Paul bout, Tyson has made training footage public, and the former heavyweight champion appears to be in peak physical condition despite his advanced age.
Paul remarked, “I’m really not (nervous).” “I am confident in my abilities. I’ve become ten times better at everything. Heavyweights, in my opinion, are slow. They are not very skilled boxers, and they are unable to dodge blows.
“I’ll be outboxing Mike in there. I won’t sit there and attempt to trade blows with him as many of these heavyweights did during his career, so he won’t be able to hit me.
During Thursday’s weigh-in, Paul restated some of his criticism of Tyson. The 58-year-old struck Paul in the face with an open-handed slap as they were staring at each other.
Shortly after security had separated the fighting, Paul said to Ariel Helwani, “I didn’t even feel it.” “He is upset. He is a small elf who is furious. I thought that was a lovely slap, Mike Tyson, but you’re going to be knocked the f*ck out tomorrow, friend.
Paul is a divisive character on social media who is accustomed to getting both favorable and unfavorable responses to his acts.
It irritates me. “I enjoy disproving others,” he remarked. This guy thinks he knows everything, so I suppose sometimes my confidence comes out as cocky and haughty, but it all boils down to confidence and my belief in myself.
Paul went on, “When you do that in today’s society, which is full of sheep and losers, they’re just going to single you out, label you as the bad guy, and want to see you fail.”
That’s where I’ve turned nasty and received a lot of backlash on the internet. The amusing part about the whole situation is that it never takes place face-to-face. Everywhere I go in person, there is affection. Thousands of people. Thousands of images. I am literally unable to go anywhere.
A unique boxing adventure
Paul’s initiation to boxing was unusual; he described it as beginning “as a whole YouTube extravaganza” of challenges to him and his brother Logan. Before long, they were “training like professionals” in anticipation of major battles.
“It was such a great feeling to win in front of 30,000 people who were saying, ‘F*ck Jake Paul,'” Paul remarked. “I was gradually developing a deep affection for the sport.”
Paul’s first professional fight took place in January 2020, when he defeated YouTuber Ali Eson Gib via technical knockout. He has now defeated former MMA legends Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz, as well as retired basketball player Nate Robinson.
The younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Tommy Fury, defeated Paul for the first time in February of last year. Although Paul scored a knockdown, Fury defeated him with a split decision victory.
Paul overcame the defeat by defeating retired UFC fighter Diaz via unanimous decision. He knocked out professional fighters Andre August and Ryan Borland in the first round of their most recent bouts.
Paul defeated bare-knuckle boxing champion Mike Perry by TKO in the sixth round after their July battle was postponed.
In addition to his adventures in the ring, Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, the former CFO of the UFC, have founded their own production company. Since then, Puerto Rican boxing sensation Amanda Serrano, who will face Irish fighter Taylor in a rematch on Friday, has signed with Most Valuable Promotions, one of the biggest names in women’s boxing.
When Serrano signed with Most Valuable Promotions, Bidarian saw him as “that perfect vehicle, perfect athlete, perfect superstar in the making.”
According to Bidarian, “the company was really based on three things,” CNN reported. “One with a fighter’s mentality initially … Two wanted to focus more on women. The third was the desire to provide a stage for boxers.
How much farther can he go?
Beyond his bout with Tyson, Paul hopes to fight for a boxing world title, but he plans to compete in the cruiserweight class and face one of the biggest names in the sport.
“The top goal on that list is to become a world boxing champion,” he stated. “I think Canelo (Álvarez) will want to fight me once I get that belt.”
Paul went on, “It will be hilarious to see the expressions on everyone’s faces when I knock Canelo out for the first time in his career. His fans will be very disappointed.” “After that, I’d retire.”
Paul intends to apply his skills to mixed martial arts after taking home a boxing world title. He aspires to be the first champion in two sports.
“I want to be the first double sport champ,” Paul stated. “I want to transition to mixed martial arts (MMA) and win a world championship title.”
He went on to say, “I think it is so much easier than boxing.” “MMA fighters have mediocre wrestling, slow pace, terrible cardio, and terrible striking.”
When Paul fights one of the most formidable opponents the sport has ever seen on Friday, such audacious statements on his boxing career will be temporarily set aside.