Since the confirmation of the heavyweight showdown between the two stars, many fans and stars in the boxing community have slammed the 31 year age difference
Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson has revealed that if the shoe was on the other foot, and he was 27, he wouldn’t even consider fighting a 58-year-old.
‘Iron Mike’ is scheduled to make his return to the ring next month against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, with the pair set to throw down on November 15 at the AT&T Arena in Arlington, Texas in front of up to 90,000 fans. The fight will take place at heavyweight and will be fought over eight two-minute rounds.
The pair were due to face off earlier this year, but Tyson, 58, was forced to pull out after suffering from an inflamed ulcer. He was advised by his doctor’s to stop training, but has since returned to the gym and believes he’s fit and ready to face the 27-year-old. Since the confirmation of the bout, many have feared for ‘Iron Mike’s’ health and have slammed the 31 year age gap between the two.
Tyson’s last fight came in an exhibition showdown with Roy Jones Jr back in 2020 and the boxing icon hasn’t fought a professional bout in nearly two decades. As for ‘The Problem Child,’ the 27-year-old knocked out former UFC fighter Mike Perry back in July in his last fight.
With the age gap a real issue coming into the fight, Tyson recently took the time to expose his upcoming opponent. At a recent LF* GO press conference, ‘Iron Mike’ was asked how the fight would play out if he was 27 and Paul was 58, to which the American responded: “Well, I’d never fight a 58-year-old if I was 27.”
During a recent interview with talkSPORT, Paul was asked about the backlash to his fight with Tyson. “I think it’s disrespectful to Mike, first and foremost,” he said. “And then I would say to them ‘Get in the ring with him’. If Mike wants to fight, then Mike wants to fight. If he wants to make it a pro fight then, ‘Okay!’ I wanna fight Mike Tyson, that’s legendary. It’s an honour to be in the ring with him, and if he wants the fight to be a pro fight then, ‘Okay, let’s do it’.”
He added: “You look at his training videos, look at him on the mitts, you look at him in person – he has a 30lb weight advantage and is giant strong. So, people can say what they want about it, but they are still going to watch.
“I get the old guard and old people wanna see me lose. At the end of the day, that’s what makes this fight interesting, the two generations coming together. I think 30 years and older want Mike Tyson [to win], 25 and younger want me to win. That’s what makes it very interesting.”
With just weeks to go until the fight, there are a few fans who believe ‘Iron Mike’ isn’t taking the fight seriously at all. During a recent chat with Jimmy Kimmel, Tyson claimed he was training six hours a day. “I am training extremely hard, I do six hours a day. I start at 11am and might leave the gym at 5pm,” he said. Kimmel looked stunned and replied: “Oh no. 11am? So that’s six hours straight, or is there a lunch break?” The former heavyweight champion admitted there was a small break as a shocked Kimmel gasped: “Oh no.”
