In the beginning some thought it was a joke, others thought it was a publicity stunt, but now we’ve come to the reality that this is going to happen, as YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul is set to face former two-time world heavyweight champion “Iron” Mike Tyson on Friday night November 15th.
The site of this highly anticipated event is the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and it will air live on Netflix. For the record, the Paul vs Tyson bout is not an exhibition. It is a professional boxing match that has been officially sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.
Jake Paul’s presence in the fight game has received mixed reactions from the boxing community. The good is his promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions, has provided a platform for up-and-coming boxers, but the bad is Paul’s own personal career has made a mockery of the sport.
In his first professional bout back in January 2020, Paul knocked out a YouTuber; then he went on to stop NBA baller Nate Robinson. In his next four fights, Paul collected victories against former MMA fighters who were old and way past their prime.
After receiving criticism for not fighting opponents who are actual boxers, Jake Paul signed on to face novice boxer Tommy Fury. Paul scored a knockdown in the fight, but Fury’s jab and one-two combination helped him secure the victory.
After losing to Fury, Paul went back to his old playbook as he defeated the 38-year-old former MMA champion Nate Diaz. After defeating Diaz, Paul collected knockout victories against two unknown boxers, and in his most recent contest, he knocked out bare-knuckle fighter Mike Perry.
Now Jake Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) is on the verge of facing a boxing Hall of Famer who is decades past his prime. With the fight date inching closer and closer, some fans are starting to ask the question, will the 27-year-old Jake Paul knock out Mike Tyson?
A native of Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, 20-year-old Mike Tyson made history back in 1986 when he became the youngest boxer to win the heavyweight world title. By the age of 21, Tyson collected all three belts and became the undisputed champion.
With his explosiveness and punching power, Mike Tyson ruled the heavyweight division for a four-year span. After losing his first bout to Buster Douglas in February 1990, Mike Tyson was able to eventually bounce back and become a two-time champion.
Mike Tyson is a legend in the sport of boxing, and comparing his resume to Jake Paul’s resume is rather ridiculous. However, in 2024 a match between Paul and Tyson ending in a Jake Paul knockout is realistic due to Tyson’s age and because of the way his career ended 19 years ago.
Back in July 2004, Danny Williams knocked out Mike Tyson in the 4th round. Danny Williams would go on to lose 7 of his last 9 fights. Eleven months later in his fight against Kevin McBride, Tyson was so exhausted he quit on the stool after the 6th round. Kevin McBride would go on to lose 6 of his next 8 fights.
It’s a fact that at this point and time, Jake Paul has the skills to beat Mike Tyson, and he also possess the punching power needed to knock Mike Tyson out. It is also a fact that Tyson is a legend and he’s known as ‘The Baddest Man on The Planet,’ but according to his birth certificate he’s 58-years-old.
Fans of Mike Tyson got excited when they saw training footage of Tyson displaying his hand speed, punching power, and the physical condition of his body. In reality what Mike Tyson showed was good body conditioning and hand speed for a man who’s 58.
The training footage was fun to watch, but it presented some red flags. For example, we saw a clip of Tyson dropping his sparring partner, but the sparring partner made no attempt to defend himself.
Going into this bout, the biggest questions are Tyson’s stamina and his punch resistance. If Jake Paul is able to survive Tyson’s initial attack, Paul should be able to win this fight. If Tyson can’t end the bout quickly, the question becomes, will Paul win by decision or by knockout?
For Tyson fans, if Jake Paul defeats Mike Tyson by decision, it would be heartbreaking, but if Jake Paul is able to obtain the ultimate bragging rights of knocking Mike Tyson out, that would be diabolical.
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