Fans are concerned with the potential of Mike Tyson getting hurt in his fight against Jake Paul on Friday. They’re worried that he could get knocked out if the 27-year-old Jake fights hard rather than taking it easy on the 58-year-old in their eight-round headliner on Netflix at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) did look more powerful, faster, and explosive than Jake during this week’s media workout on Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be able to take his punches or fight hard for a full eight rounds without fading.
“I don’t know if this is a real fight. Obviously, those betting lines are falling by the wayside because of that. Is Paul going to go out there and fight Tyson like he’s fighting everyone else and try and knock out a 58-year-old man?” said Chris Algieri to Probox TV about this Friday’s match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
“What does that do for anybody? I know these guys are getting paid. Mike is getting a big payday. If Paul goes out and gets Mike out in the first or second round, does that really help him? Are people going to look at that as a victory? Is that going on his record?”
Jake Paul isn’t trying to build a great resume. He’s picking out fighters to make money, and he’s got it down to a science. He knows who he can beat, and he makes sure that he chooses fighters that are popular. He’s not interested in fighting any active world-class boxers.
“A 58-year-old doesn’t take as good a shot as a younger. Tyson wasn’t taking a very good shot in his mid-30s at the time of his retirement. He was going down very easily. The chin had been dented,” said Paulie Malignaggi.
Before Tyson retired, he was getting dropped by Kevin McBride and Danny Williams. Those were very poor heavyweights, but definitely better fighters than Jake Paul. That was a long time ago, and the 58-year-old Tyson today is nowhere near what he was when he fought those two.
“I’m worried for Tyson’s health. You have your cast of idiots who think Paul is the one that has got to be worried. I think the reason there’s no betting is because of Tyson not having no shot in this thing. I would be suspicious of this being fixed if Tyson goes the distance. I don’t think a 58 at this age. It’s not like Jake Paul is a total novice at this point.
“Nobody is saying Jake Paul is world-class, but he’s been fighting for four or five years.”
The conventional wisdom is Mike Tyson can only win the fight if he gets a knockout in the first two rounds before he starts gassing. He’s not young enough and hasn’t been living a clean life for him to last more than two rounds unless Jake fights with at a slow pace, which he’s probably not going to do.
