Mike Tyson's verdict on Jake Paul fight speaks volumes - 'I didn't understand

Little over five months ago, Mike Tyson made his comeback to professional boxing by facing YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight was watched by millions of fans on Netflix, who were all wondering whether the former heavyweight world champion could beat someone more than 30 years younger than him.

The answer was an emphatic no. Tyson looked every bit of his 58 years in the ring, as he struggled to make any impact on the eight-round bout. Paul comfortably won the fight and even admitted to going easy on the veteran because he "didn't want to hurt" him.

Despite this, Tyson later claimed he didn't feel the least bit tired during the one-sided fight. "Magically. It just happened so quick," Tyson told 7News in Miami in December. "Eight rounds were over fast. I wasn't tired. I wasn't sweating. I didn't understand that."

Tyson's comments suggested a return to the ring might not be out of the equation, despite his convincing loss to Paul. It also showed off the inner belief and confidence that rarely leaves a great champion of the ring. Tyson added in December: "As I said before, the sky is the limit. Anything I want, I'm just happy to be able to do it. I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to be able to do everything that I want to do in this and beyond."

Yet he poured cold water over the idea of another fight earlier this month while talking to Men's Health. "The only person I’m fighting now is my accountant," said the former champion. "Other than that, I’m just living life and I’m doing good right now."

Tyson failed to trouble Paul in their fight (

Image:

Getty Images)

Jake Paul went easy on Mike Tyson to stop him from getting hurt

At his peak, Tyson was regarded as the best boxer on the planet. He became the undisputed heavyweight world champion as a 21-year-old in 1987 and beat the likes of Larry Holmes, Frank Bruno, Michael Spinks, Trevor Berbick, and Carl Williams.

Tyson's professional boxing career seemed over when he retired from his fight with Kevin McBride in 2005 before he made a sensational comeback against Paul last November. Yet the professional bout ended up looking more like an exhibition by the end of it.

"Yeah definitely (took my foot off the gas)," admitted Paul, who boasts a 11-1 record in professional boxing, to reporters after the fight. "Definitely a bit. I wanted to give the fans a show but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt."

Paul added: "(I carried him) a little bit. There was a point where I was just like he’s not really engaging back and I don’t know if he’s tired or whatever. I could just tell his age was showing a little bit. I just have so much respect for him and that violence/war thing between us, after he slapped me I wanted to be aggressive and take him down and knock him out and all that stuff but that kind of went away as the rounds went on."

Tyson's performance against Paul would suggest the veteran's time in professional boxing is over. Yet his "wasn't tired" claim hints that another fight, potentially an exhibition, could yet be pencilled in. After all, no one expected Tyson to fight Paul in the first place.