In the beginning, some thought it was a joke, others thought it was a publicity stunt, but now we have come to the reality that it is going to happen, as YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, the former two-time world heavyweight going to venture champion “Iron” Mike Tyson on Friday night November 15.
The site of this highly anticipated event is AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and it will be broadcast live on Netflix. For the record, the Paul vs Tyson match is not an exhibition. This is a professional boxing match officially sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.
Jake Paul’s presence in the fight received mixed reactions from the boxing community. The good is that his promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions, has provided a platform for up-and-coming boxers, but the bad is that Paul’s own personal career has made a mockery of the sport.
In his first professional fight in January 2020, Paul knocked out a YouTuber; then he proceeded to stop NBA baller Nate Robinson. In his next four fights, Paul collected wins against former MMA fighters who were old and well past their prime.
After receiving criticism for not fighting opponents who are actual boxers, Jake Paul signed to face rookie boxer Tommy Fury. Paul scored a takedown 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 when he defeated 38-year-old former MMA champion Nate Diaz. After defeating Diaz, Paul collected knockout victories against two unknown boxers, and in his most recent bout he knocked out bare-knuckle fighter Mike Perry.
Now Jake Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) is about to face a boxing Hall of Famer decades past his prime. With the fight date getting closer, some fans are starting to ask the question, will 27-year-old Jake Paul knock out Mike Tyson?
20-year-old Mike Tyson, a native of Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, made history in 1986 when he became the youngest boxer to win the world heavyweight title. By the age of 21, Tyson had collected all three belts and became the undisputed champion.
With his explosiveness and punching power, Mike Tyson ruled the heavyweight division for a period of four years. After losing his first fight to Buster Douglas in February 1990, Mike Tyson was finally able to 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 is pretty ridiculous. However, in 2024, a match between Paul and Tyson ending in a Jake Paul knockout is realistic due to Tyson’s age and the way his career ended 19 years ago.
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 that he stopped on the chair after the 6th round. Kevin McBride would go on to lose 6 of his next 8 fights.
It is a fact that at this time Jake Paul has the skills to beat Mike Tyson, and he also possesses the punching power needed to knock Mike Tyson out. It is also a fact that Tyson is a legend and he is known as ‘The Baddest Man on The Planet’ but according to his birth certificate he is 58 years old.
Fans of Mike Tyson got excited when they saw training footage of Tyson that showcased his hand speed, punching power and the physical condition of his body. What Mike Tyson actually showed was good body conditioning and hand speed for a man who is 58.
The training footage was fun to watch, but it displayed 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 fight, 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 fight 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 can gain the ultimate bragging rights to knock out Mike Tyson, it will be diabolical.
