Mike Tyson made an ill-advised return to boxing at the age of 58 last November to face Jake Paul.
The heavyweight legend locked horns with YouTube star turned professional fighter Paul the AT&T Stadium in Texas on November 15, in what was his first pro outing in just shy of two decades.
Tyson was quite visibly a shadow of his once formidable self on fight night, and was beaten via unanimous decision after an eight round battle with ‘The Problem Child’ which failed to live up to the extreme promotion..
As Paul gears up to face former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr next month, ‘Iron Mike’ has given his verdict on whether he believes his former rival can actually go on to win a world title of his own.
Speaking in a pre-fight press conference ahead of his showdown with Paul, Tyson claimed that the 28-year-old had ‘improved a lot’ in comparison to the earlier stages of his career as he backed him to go on and capture world honours.
“Let me just be honest, he’s improved a lot. Yes. He has improved a lot.”
Post-fight, Tyson had more praise for the youngster, saying Paul is ‘talented’ and ‘punches hard.’
Tyson has now confirmed he has stepped back into retirement following his controversial bout against Paul. The 58-year-old had initially expressed his intentions to fight on, but made a u-turn on this decision shortly after.
As for ‘The Problem Child’, the 28-year-old will lock horns with Chavez Jr at the Honda Center in Anaheim on June 28, as he bids to move even closer to achieving his dream of capturing a legitimate world title.
