Nineteen years ago, former two-time world heavyweight champion “Iron” Mike Tyson competed in his last official match, but on Friday night, November 15, Tyson will return to the ring in a sanctioned bout against YouTuber, boxer Jake Paul.
The fight will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and will be broadcast live on Netflix. The Tyson vs. Paul clash was originally scheduled to take place on July 20, but it had to be postponed because Tyson had flared up an ulcer while traveling.
Jake Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) began his professional boxing career in January 2020. The last time Paul competed inside the squared circle was on July 20, when he scored a 6th round TKO victory over Mike Perry. Now Paul is about to face a Hall of Fame boxer who is past his prime.
Decades ago, back in 1986, at the age of 20, Mike Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick to become the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. After winning the WBC title, Tyson would go undisputed and dominate the heavyweight division for the next three years.
After losing his undisputed crown to 42-weight underdog Buster Douglas in 1990, Mike Tyson became champion again when he defeated Frank Bruno in March 1996. After winning the WBC title, Tyson added the WBA belt six months later when he knocked out Bruce Seldon. in the 1st round.
1996 was the last year Tyson became a world champion. He went on to lose back-to-back fights to Evander Holyfield. Twenty-four years after their second fight, Evander Holyfield did what Tyson would try to do.
In September 2021, 58-year-old Evander Holyfield returned to the boxing ring to face 44-year-old former MMA champion Vitor Belfort. Four-time heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield looked extremely slow, and his reflexes weren’t the same.
With 38 seconds left in the opening round, Vitor Belfort knocked down Holyfield. Holyfield was able to get up, but as the match continued, Belfort landed a flurry of shots that forced the referee to step in and stop the match.
Now Holyfield’s rival Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) will attempt to compete inside the squared circle at the age of 58. Tyson had not participated in a sanctioned fight in over nineteen years. Tyson has lost three of his last four fights at the tail end of his storied boxing career.
Back in 2020, Mike Tyson defeated Roy Jones Jr. faced off in a highly anticipated exhibition match. In a slow match, the two legends entertained the crowd. On November 15, Tyson will face a younger opponent who will push the pace. The question is, will 58-year-old Mike Tyson end up like 58-year-old Evander Holyfield?
Over the past four years, Jake Paul has dedicated himself to the sport of boxing, and he has improved tremendously. His jab has improved, and his knockout power is legit.
Paul is 31 years younger than Tyson, and he will have advantages in speed and stamina. If Paul can survive the early rounds, he has a good chance for a knockout victory.
Mike Tyson has lost many of his physical attributes, but the one thing he still has in his arsenal is punching power. This could be a short match if Tyson can get a clean shot on Paul early.
However, if Jake Paul can weather the storm and get out of the early rounds, it could spell trouble for Tyson. If Mike Tyson, who is well past his prime, has to rely on his stamina, then it will be the equivalent of fighting fans watching another 58-year-old Hall of Fame boxer suffer embarrassment in the ring.
