At age fifty-eight, Mike Tyson has been pulled out of his retirement.’Iron Mike’ will be facing Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Texas on November 15. The fight, which was originally supposed to take place on July 20, was delayed due to Tyson’s mid-flight health emergency in May. Now, ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ is back in training camp, preparing hard for the Jake Paul fight. However, upon his return to the ring, will we be getting the same Mike Tyson who used to knock out opponents for fun?
Notably, ‘Iron Mike’ will be fighting an opponent thirty-one years younger than him. Therefore, the Tyson fanbase has expressed concern about Tyson’s health going into the showdown with Jake Paul. Adding to the overwhelming sentiment of disapproval for the fight, UFC legend, Ken Shamrock, sat down with Ukrainian-American interviewer DJ Vlad, to discuss the brewing negativity surrounding the fight that will be showcased on Netflix. Unfortunately, Shamrock believes that Tyson doesn’t have what it takes to fight at the highest level anymore, despite his legendary reputation. And a Jake Paul loss would be too much for his admirers to bear.
“Jake Paul can’t win. He wins there’s a huge bad taste in the world of boxing. It’s a disappointment to an organization that has loved Mike. It is like the death of somebody,” Shamrock predicted ominously. He further emphasized that Jake Paul fighting a 58-year-old Mike Tyson is like fighting somebody who is physically challenged.
“I think a lot of boxing fans think he’s going to beat Jake Paul because of what they know of Mike, right, and the skill sets that he has. But if he goes in there, and he doesn’t have that look, doesn’t have that feel, it’s going to feel like Jake Paul beat up somebody in a wheelchair,” the UFC Hall of Famer added.
Moreover, DJ Vlad likened the scenario to how Trevor Berbick beat the legendary Muhammad Ali in the latter’s final professional match in 1981. After the bout, Trevor Berbick became the most “hated” person in the boxing community for beating up 39-year-old Ali, who was well past his prime. Narrating the story, the interviewer tried to insinuate that Paul could also become the most “hated” boxer in the sport if he knocked out Tyson. Meanwhile, the fight could have serious implications for Tyson’s health as well.
However, Shamrock and Vlad aren’t the only ones concerned about Mike Tyson’s well-being ahead of his fight with Jake Paul. Even, former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder believes the fight should never have been sanctioned.
Could Mike Tyson end up in a coma?
Deontay Wilder was not happy with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations for sanctioning the professional bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. Notably, it will be a two-minute eight-round contest between the fighters. Despite the altered rules, the dangers for Mike Tyson to sustain an injury exist on a very real scale.
“I think it’s bad the commission has licensed Mike Tyson because he hasn’t been active in 20 years, so they should not just license him because of who he is, that’s how people get hurt – God forbid he gets hurt,” Wilder stated in a media interview. The Bronze Bomber also said that Tyson might even end up in a “coma” if he is hit in the “wrong place”, claiming that he is too “old” to be fighting. “At the end of the day, no one gives a f— about Mike,” he said regretfully.
Regardless of the voices raised against the bout, it seems the parties concerned are all for it. As far as the fight is concerned, that is all that matters to the organizers.
