Mike Tyson has been backed by two of his former rivals ahead of a controversial comeback fight against Jake Paul.
The 58-year-old is set to end a two-decade spell away from professional boxing when he takes on YouTuber-turned-fighter Paul at AT&T Stadium in Texas on November 15.
Many people are concerned for Tyson’s well-being as he prepares to face a man 31 years his junior, but two of his biggest rivals are confident he can get the job done.
Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, who both beat Tyson when he was much closer to his prime, have offered their predictions on the matchup.
Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield are expecting an upset
Mike Tyson famously threatened to ‘eat’ Lewis’ children before the Englishman knocked him out inside eight rounds when they fought for the WBC, IBF, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles in 2002.
Since then, they’ve put aside their differences. So much so, that ‘The Lion’ is now publicly backing his old nemesis to roll back the years by beating Jake Paul.
“Mike Tyson’s gonna win,” Lewis told Fox 29.
“He’s not that old. Don’t take him too softly. We’re one year apart.
“You can fight somebody like that and do well because the person you’re fighting is not a true fighter and there’s a hundred things that you’ve forgotten that he’s learning.
“[The age] will be a little bit of a determining factor if the fight goes on too long, but if they get close and Mike comes with his ten-second combination, if one of those punches’ catches [Paul] he’s definitely gonna go down.”
Tyson took a chunk out of Holyfield’s ear during their two-fight series in the late 90s, but he’s managed to rectify that relationship since walking away from the sport in 2005.
Now he’s back, Holyfield is also supporting his old rival and is backing him ti emerge victoriously when he steps back into the ring as a professional for the first time since journeyman Kevin McBride made him quit all those years ago.
“I don’t know how much confidence that Jake Paul has and all of that, but he’s gonna be a lot quicker,” Holyfield told Fight Hub.
“If he stays close to Mike then his chance of winning is going to be great, but if he tries to stay back from Mike he’s going to get caught.
“Mike is like a snake. He’ll pop out on you. He gets there too quick. But if you charge him, you’re going to smother him.
“He pushes off his legs so he’s too close, but if you give him room everybody gets knocked out going backwards. Give him room and you’re gonna be messed up.”
Mike Tyson insists Jake Paul is about more than money
Tyson is an extremely wealthy man who doesn’t need to fight ever again.
However, some people believe that money is motivating his comeback, and it’s hard to disagree with them when you hear the boxing legend and Paul are set to split a $80million pot.
Still, Tyson insists that his return to the ring is not about financial gain, it’s about testing himself on the world stage.
“I could be waiting on a check every day from cannabis,” he said in September.
“That’s bulls*** for me. I’m a man, I want to go out there and I want to expose myself to risk. Sometimes I want to see who I really am.
“I want to see what I’m really made out of. I want to perform in front of the world. To me, that’s all I ever knew how to do since I was 14.
“This fight is not going to change my life financially enough.
“This is just what I want to do.”
