Mike Tyson says he’s betting on himself to defeat Jake Paul in their main event fight on Friday night. He isn’t saying how much he’s betting on himself, but he says it’s “enough.”
The oddsmakers have installed Jake (10-1, 7 KOs) as the favorite over the 58-year-old Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) for their eight-round fight, and it’s understandable why. Tyson looks like a person closer to 70 than 60, and a big reason for that is the hard life he’s had in the 19 years he’s been out of the ring.
Mike Betting On Himself
A young version of Tyson would destroy the Youtuber Jake Paul within 20 seconds of the first round, but as old as ‘Iron’ Mike looks now, it doesn’t bode well for him on Friday. Mike is probably going to last more than three or four rounds against Paul unless the latter takes it easy on him and doesn’t push hard.
There’s always the chance of that happening because the fans that saw Tyson’s exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. saw a fight that looked more like a choreographed stage play.
Jake vs. Tyson will meet in an eight-round fight at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event will be shown live on Netflix. On the undercard, Amanda Serrano will face Katie Taylor in a rematch. Also on the card is WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, defending against Abel Ramos.
“That’s okay, I don’t mind that. I’m betting on myself,” said Mike Tyson to Manouk Akopyan, reacting to being told that he’s the underdog for his fight against Jake Paul this Friday night. “There’s enough,” said an annoyed-looking Tyson when asked if there’s a specific amount he’s betting on himself.
“I’m confident I would have done well,” said Tyson about whether he would have done well in this era of the heavyweight division.
If Tyson is going to keep doing these gigs against YouTubers or other fighters, he’s going to need to produce because fans aren’t going to want to keep paying to watch him fight if he gets knocked out, quits, or battles in a way that looks fake like it’s not a real match.
Tyson’s Power Will Surprise
“I’m dealing with the reality of I have to fight him in a particular way. It’s pretty much [the same]. The only difference is, I get more massages now,” said Tyson about the difference between training at 58 compared to when he was younger. “Yes, a lot of therapy.”
Tyson can’t fight the way he used to when he was a younger fighter 30 years ago, and he’s going to have to adapt to doing what he can at his age. If 27-year-old Jake can push a fast pace, he could get Tyson out of there.
“I was born to do this. I was born to sell out stadiums. This is all I ever wanted to do my whole entire life,” said Tyson about being able to sell out stadiums.
I don’t think it’s bad. You’ll be surprised,” said Tyson on how his power is at his age. “On Monday and Wednesday, I sparred eight rounds. So, I’m going the distance every day in the gym.”
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