One of the old adages in the sport of boxing tells us that the “last thing to go is the power.” And UFC legend Chuck Liddell has no doubt Mike Tyson has still got more than enough punching power to be able to despatch Jake Paul when the two collide in what promises (or threatens, depending on your view) to be a massive, massive event, to be screened on Netflix.
Liddell, who spoke with TMZ Sports, said the fight will not prove to be much of a fight at all, with it to be over “as soon as he [Tyson] hits him.”
“As soon as Tyson hits him, it’s over,” “The Iceman” said. “The last thing to go is power. If he hits him, it’s over. If you’ve seen Mike, he still hits. Hey, Jake, keep covered up, man!”
Liddell, around the same age as Tyson, might be guilty of having a short memory. After all, where was Tyson’s power when he last fought, this against Kevin McBride way back in 2005? That sad night, Tyson had no pop in his punches, and he was basically shoved to the canvas, with “Iron Mike,” no longer iron, then quitting on his stool. Plenty of fans are worried we will see as sad a spectacle in July – or something even worse.
But the sheer mystique Tyson still carries, with so many fans having frozen the icon in time, them remembering only his great nights, has got plenty of people convinced the 58 year old will show his former explosiveness and KO Paul. Liddell is far from the only person who believes the old Tyson is still there, not merely an ‘old’ Tyson, who the 30 years younger Paul will beat up on.
It could be argued how no heavyweight fighter has ever enjoyed as much loyalty, as much fascination and as much reverence as Tyson. Tyson’s hero-worshippers believe he will be bad all over again against Paul. And the chance of a blast-from-the-past KO taking place is what will see so many fans tune in in July. Above all, however, as has been written before, let’s hope nobody gets seriously hurt in Texas.
Meanwhile, there is still some confusion as to the exact rules that will be in place for the Tyson-Paul fight. Will the fight be a sanctioned bout, to go on the records of both men? Will regular sized gloves be used? Apparently, the folks at the Texas Commission are still figuring this out.
Also of interest, Tyson has released a short video of him training for the fight, with him saying how “it’s day 1…the fun has just begun.” Tyson does look explosive as he whacks the body bag, but for how long can he maintain the speed and power? Chuck Liddell doesn’t think Tyson will need to maintain it for very long at all.
