Mike Tyson pictured during the weigh-in for his Netflix fight with Jake Paul. Mike Tyson pictured during the weigh-in for his Netflix fight with Jake Paul. Picture: Brett Carlsen / Getty Images via AFP
Image: Brett Carlsen / Getty Images via AFP
It’s difficult to ignore the pleas from various boxing promoters, former boxers and pundits for 58-year-old Mike Tyson to stay retired rather than step back in the ring and fight again.
Tyson is getting into a ring with YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul, who is 31 years younger than the self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet”, in the early hour of Saturday morning (3am SA time) in an officially sanctioned fight at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.
Tyson retired from professional boxing in 2006 after a storied career that saw him win his first heavyweight title at the age of 20, and ended with 50 wins from his 58 fights.
Tyson last graced a professional ring in 2005, when he was beaten via a technical knockout after quitting on his chair during a fight against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride. At the time Tyson seemed like he was leaving the sport because of medical reasons.
Look at the speed of that slap😂 Yet people say Mike is losing this fight . Jake is dead here peeps. 10K Mike Tyson Knockout Win 👁️ pic.twitter.com/OBeqHRvXDh
— 𝗢![CDATA[]]>𝗳![CDATA[]]>𝗲![CDATA[]]>𝗻![CDATA[]]>𝘁![CDATA[]]>𝘀![CDATA[]]>𝗲 𝗠![CDATA[]]>𝘄![CDATA[]]>𝗮![CDATA[]]>𝘀![CDATA[]]>𝗲 🔥![CDATA[]]>🚀 (@unclescrooch) November 15, 2024
The Netflix-backed fight with Paul was initially due to take place in July but was postponed in May, after Tyson required medical treatment on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles after vomiting blood due to a bleeding ulcer.
It’s why people such as boxing promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren think it’s a bad idea for Tyson to get back in to the ring.
“If anyone thinks that Mike Tyson should be in a ring at this age, you either have absolutely no emotional feelings toward the man, or you're an idiot. It shouldn't be happening,” Hearn said.
Warren echoed those sentiments.
"Anyone with an ounce of brains knows that it is ridiculous. You can be on a motorway stuck in a traffic jam and you get to the end of it and all it is is people who have stopped to look at a crash - and that's what this is."
In April 2020, Tyson started dropping some training videos on Instagram, hinting at some sort of comeback.
Boxing fans started to get excited, as the “old-timer” looked to like his old, ferocious self, punching sparring partners and bags with some of the fierce power that made him such a dangerous opponent to face.
Tyson fought 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition battle of former heavyweight champions in November that year. The bought was fought in a close arena due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For the fight, which ended in a draw, the California State Athletic Commission officials required two-minute rounds instead of the usual three-minute rounds, while neither fighter could seek a knockout and declared there could be no official winner in safety moves for the over-50 fighters.
Two years later Tyson would throw another punch in public, this time on a plane when he repeatedly punched a passenger after becoming irritated by the man's attempts to talk to him.
Trying to fight Mike Tyson on a plane … pic.twitter.com/uG3GLgSg0V
— Interesting As Fuck (@interesting_aIl) March 27, 2024
Cell phone footage showed Tyson leaning over the back of his seat and delivering a flurry of blows to the man, who appeared to be left with bruises and some bleeding.
Tyson acknowledged that there was always a possibility of him coming face to face with “overly excited” fans on board an aircraft, and apologised for the incident. However, at the time, the dust up did bring into the question his state of mind.
On March 7 this year, Paul and Tyson announced their fight on their official X pages, with streaming giant Netflix announcing the blockbuster deal.
It is rumoured that Tyson could earn $20 million for the fight, big money for a sportsman who was $23 million in debt in 2003 after blowing his $400 million fortune that he amassed during his career.
This fight is first and foremost a publicity stunt, we all know that. Netflix, Paul and, of course, Iron Mike cashing in on Tyson’s legacy. But at what cost?
On the other hand, Tyson has managed to get into incredible shape ahead of the fight. He certainly doesn’t like your average 58-year old and he certainly doesn’t punch like one. And Paul may be in for a bit of a beating.
But Tyson is still 58-years-old, a grandpa, fighting an opponent half his age. Surely this can’t be right. In fact, it’s rather dangerous.
Additional reporting by AFP
@JohnGoliath82