Will Jake Paul stand any chance against Mike Tyson in their made for streaming exhibiton boxing match on Friday, (3am SA time Saturday)? Picture: Ayisha Collins/Getty Images for Netflix via AFP
Image: Ayisha Collins/Getty Images for Netflix via AFP
It’s the question on everyone’s lips, who will come out on top in the exhibition, made for streaming, boxing clash between YouTuber Jake Paul and former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson.
The fight which will be live-streamed on Netflix from 3am SA time on Saturday, pits YouTuber-turned rising boxing pro Paul against Tyson who last entered the ring competitively 19 years ago.
The 58-year-old Tyson last fought in 2005, which was the 58th bout of his career. Tyson lost five of those fights, with three of those defeats coming in his final four bouts after 2002. He was also disqualified during a fight in the peak of his career in 1997 for biting a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear off.
Interestingly, 1997 was the year Paul was born. Now aged 27, Paul will take on one of the most brutally powerful boxers of all time in ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson.
While Tyson has appeared impressive in his training in the lead-up to the fight, there’s no escaping the fact that he’s approaching old age.
He may still go by the moniker Iron Mike, but he simply cannot be anything close to the fighter he was in his heyday. If he was, that would be an insult to the physical specimen he was all those years ago.
Paul, in contrast, while lacking in the technical experience of Tyson - has 11 pro fights to his name. In his late 20s, Paul is at the peak of his physical abilities and could easily outlast a man more than twice his age.
Ultimately, the clash is nothing but a big payday for both boxers and while all the pre-fight talk would be about how each fighter fancies their chances - them’s fighting words.
It would be no surprise if the fight goes the distance, which will attract the biggest audience. After the fight, though, behind closed doors Tyson and Paul will be laughing all the way to the bank.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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