Ding! Ding! Ding! The bell to one of the most anticipated fights is soon to go off. Mike Tyson, 57, one of the most respected and honorable Boxers, will get into the ring with Jake Paul, 27, who once was just a controversial YouTuber. There is an obvious difference in age and experience, but will that affect the fight at all?
Tyson began boxing at 13 after being sent to a juvenile detention center. This is where he would meet his trainer and soon-to-be guardian Cus D’Amato. Tyson would start his career in 1985, and only a year later be televised fighting Jesse Ferguson. This fight ended as a TKO (Technical Knockout) and many wins would follow, including ones against Marvis Frazier, Jose Ribalta and Frank Bruno. Tyson’s first loss would be against James Douglas in 1990 after four years of holding the Heavyweight World Title. Another prominent fight in his career would be the Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson II fight on June 27, 1997, when Tyson proceeded to bite Holyfield’s ear in the third round, resulting in Holyfield having a chunk of his right ear missing. All of these fights earned him the nicknames “Iron Mike” and “The Baddest Man on the Planet.” Seven years after the Holyfield fight, Tyson would ultimately retire after a loss against Kevin McBride in 2005 at the age of 38. His record is still undeniably one of the greatest in history with 50 wins and six losses with over half of the wins being KOs (Knockouts). Tyson is known to many, even the great Muhammad Ali, for his strength, speed and accuracy.Â
Jake Paul on the other hand is notably known as a controversial Youtuber turned boxer. Many people aren’t his biggest fans because of his huge ego. During 2020, at the peak of the lockdown, Paul was seen hosting parties going against the newly instated COVID-19 rules and causing a disturbance amongst his neighbors. This issue got so big that the Mayor had to address him personally and it was all over the news. After the lash back it seemed that Paul calmed down and began taking boxing seriously. According to ESPN, Paul’s first fight was against Ali Eson Gib who is also a Youtuber turned Boxer. Gib doesn’t have much information out there so it seems like Paul was his only fight which ended with Paul taking the win. At this time Paul has 10 fights under his belt with a majority of them being wins including two knockouts. It is inarguable that Paul is talented and has the strength to go against Tyson, but Paul lacks the experience that comes with the sport.Â
People are unsure about this fight because “Why in the World would MIKE TYSON come out of retirement to fight a cringe Youtuber?” Going through Reddit comments, it seems like the people have a lot to say. “These fellows have bills to pay.” “It will be staged.” “Tyson would kill Paul I’m sorry.” “If Tyson loses it is clearly rigged.” “Death or snooze.” A majority of the comments seem to be on Tyson’s side because of his record and notoriety, while the other side believes this is a cash grab. Looking at it from a cash grab POV, it is going to be the first-ever fight to be streamed live on Netflix. Many fights usually have an added paywall in order to watch the fight, but with Netflix this will be taken away, making this fight more attainable and even international for the masses to watch. This is going to be a huge cash grab for Netflix as it seems they are moving to live-streaming events. The other thought is that this fight is going to be rigged or even just an exhibition. There have been no leaks that point to any of this information, but according to ESPN, “The bout will be sanctioned as a professional boxing match by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.”Â
Sadly, Mike Tyson experienced a health issue dealing with an ulcer flareup. Which resulted in a postponement of the fight concluding on May 3, 2024. According to Tyson, the doctors have advised him to take it easy for a couple of weeks before returning to his rigorous training. During this time Tyson and Paul were in high spirits and continued to talk about the fight. Paul commented “I will be ready to claim my W with a sensational finish. Paul vs. Tyson will be one for the ages, and I promise to bring my best for this once-in-a-lifetime matchup.” On June 7, 2024 the new date for the fight was released, no longer the summer phenomenon it once was, instead falling in the fall. November 15, 2024 the bell will ring.Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will no doubt be the talk of the century because of the age gap between the two. Tyson looks to have kept up his strength and speed throughout the years in his latest training videos while Jake Paul seems to be lazing around. Will this affect the fight? Who knows? But, we do know that the entertainment side of boxing is changing. “Many boxing purists, like me, have seen a shift in boxing as the business side has taken over. We see more and more crossover events…Modern-day boxing now prioritizes entertainment and financial gains over the traditional values of boxing, such as our amateur system, honed exceptional boxing skills, discipline, and overall professionalism,” states ESPN. There is only one way to tell what will happen at that is to tune in.