By: Sean Crose
Despite the belief that this July’s Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight would be an exhibition bout, the much-anticipated novelty bout will now officially become a professional bout. “Mike Tyson wants this to be a professional fight,” Paul posted on social media Monday. “Netflix wants this to be a professional fight. So I agreed to turn it into a professional fight. The winner takes it all.” Whether Paul means the winner will take all the money after the battle is over remains to be seen. However, Tyson is clearly pleased with this latest development. “Yes,” the former heavyweight champion posted, “that was a fight that was actually accepted with @jakepaul.”
Tyson, one of the most famous people on the planet, was a powerhouse at his peak. With his ferocious attack and underrated defense, this man is like Jack Dempsey 2.0, an absolute wrecking machine. How dominant was Tyson? At age 20, he became the youngest heavyweight boxer in history when he defeated Trevor Berbereck. Less than a year later, he became the undisputed world heavyweight champion by defeating Tony Tucker. Then, less than a year later, the boy from the mean streets of Brooklyn became the outright heavyweight champion of the world by knocking out the great Michael Spinks in 90 seconds. It’s still a tough run to the top.
However, Tyson’s fall was as epic as his rise. After being stunned by James “Buster” Douglas in 1990, the man was on a downward spiral for years both in and out of the ring. And while he still has his moments of glory, his glory days are clearly over. Tyson’s last fight saw him defeated by Kevin McBride in 2005. That was almost 20 years ago. However, Tyson seems to have changed for the better over the years. He is once again omnipresent in Western culture and once again seems to be in frighteningly good shape.
However, the question is simple: Can he beat Paul at 58? Although few people seriously considered the rude Paul to be a good boxer, he was certainly not a bad boxer. Plus, at 27, he’ll essentially be twenty years younger than the aging legend when he steps into the ring to face Tyson at AT&T Stadium this summer. However, the rules for this fight could be in Tyson’s favor. The fight will last just eight rounds – what’s more, each round will be two minutes long instead of three.
And ultimately, anything can happen in boxing.
