Former heavyweight sensation Mike Tyson faces influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in July, but the fight has been widely criticised and an old interview shows exactly why.
Mike Tyson’s fight with Jake Paul has been labeled a farce by many pundits, and their claims have been made more credible after an interview with the former heavyweight champion resurfaced. The 57-year-old has not fought in a sanctioned bout since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005, but he will face influencer-turned-boxer Paul in Dallas on July 20.
Paul is 30 years younger than Tyson, whose only contest in recent years was a 2020 exhibition against Roy Jones Jr, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of many fans. But the event at AT&T Stadium – the home of the Dallas Cowboys – is sure to be big business, with Netflix broadcasting the event live around the globe.
Paul publicized the fight on social media by posting a clip of Tyson doing pad work in the ring, showing he still has explosive power in his fists.
But it has emerged that the video is four years old, and it is further discredited by an admission made by Tyson on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast at the time.
Rogan was praising Tyson for his ability in the ring given his age, to which Tyson forthrightly replied: “Let me tell you something about that video. I filmed that video and I was in bed for a week. That was 30 seconds and I was in bed for a week. It’s not funny because it made me realize that this is big-boy s***.”