At 58 and long retired, Mike Tyson still walks into a room as he owns it—because, let’s be real, he kinda does. Few people appreciate that raw energy more than UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan, who’s had the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ on his show twice, probably just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming the first time.
Despite Tyson’s terrifying personality, though, ‘Iron’ Mike could not do what many wanted him to when the boxing legend came face to face with YouTube star Jake Paul in November last year. Tyson began the fight strong and on the front foot, but that’s all he could do. From the second round, Tyson gassed out and Paul took over.
‘The Problem Child’ kept pushing ‘Iron’ Mike back, and the boxing legend couldn’t do anything. Unfortunately, he looked like a mere shell of his former self. However, Tyson’s past was enough to make the event—a historical affair, with record viewership numbers on streaming giant Netflix. The bout even shattered Texas’ gate revenue record, dethroning none other than Canelo Alvarez.
Regardless, even Tyson’s lackluster performance against an influencer boxer wasn’t enough for Joe Rogan to change his stance on Tyson’s terrifying personality and work ethic. “When he first did the podcast, he was not working out at all and he was smoking w**d all day long and he was like silly and peaceful and relaxed,” Rogan recalled his first podcast episode with Tyson.
“He said he didn’t want to work out because if he did he would reignite his ego and he didn’t want to do that,” the UFC commentator continued. “Then the second time I saw him, he was preparing for the Roy Jones fight. He had lost like 100 pounds, he was shredded… All his muscles were just f**king big and thick and puffed up and he looked terrifying.”
Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr. back in 2020 in an exhibition bout—though the official result of the fight was declared a draw, many felt Tyson had done enough to win the bout. Even Roy Jones Jr. had praised Tyson’s abilities. Nonetheless, Rogan added, “From the first episode he did to the second episode—completely different person because he was Mike Tyson again, he was getting ready to fight again.”
If Rogan’s description of Tyson wasn’t convincing enough, hear it from Jones Jr. himself.
Roy Jones Jr. compares a punch from Mike Tyson to a kick from a mule
During a November 2024 interview, Roy Jones Jr. revealed just how hard Mike Tyson can still punch, even at 57, now 58. Reflecting on their 2020 exhibition bout, Jones compared one of Tyson’s punches to being kicked by a mule.
Speaking with Andre Ward on All The Smoke Fight, Jones said, “The first time he hit me in the chest it was like a mule had kicked me in the chest, at 57 years old! I said, ‘Oh my goodness, you ain’t going to hit me no more.’”
Jones also admitted Tyson’s head movement surprised him, saying, “You really have a hard time hitting him. I feel like I’ve got some of the fastest hands in boxing, but he was able to dodge them.”
That being said, even the loss to Jake Paul hasn’t dulled the image Joe Rogan has of Mike Tyson. And fairly so! Jake Paul, never in a million years, would have wanted to fight a Mike Tyson in his prime. In fact, Tyson, being 58 during the bout, made it a fair fight. But what are your thoughts on Rogan’s statements?
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