By: Sean Crose
While fans of novelty boxing may be salivating for the scheduled Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight on November 15th, former world welterweight titlist Shawn Porter doesn’t think the fight will end up going down. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” the popular former champion claimed on The Porter Way podcast, “we’re not gonna ever see Mike Tyson get in the ring with Jake Paul…I don’t call the shots, I just don’t think Mike’s getting in the ring.” As far is Porter is concerned, the Tyson-Paul fight has been ridiculous from the get-go. “I just don’t see it happening,” he continued. “It didn’t make sense, to me, even from a business standpoint.”
Cleveland native Porter himself had a terrific career, holding the IBF and WBC welterweight belts on separate occasions. Porter defeated the likes of Paulie Malignaggi, Andre Berto, Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas through the course of his dozen plus year career. Porter’s few loses came at the gloved fists of Terence Crawford, Keith Thurman, Errol Spence, and Kell Brook – huge names, all. In short, Porter has earned the right to be heard within the fight game. He’s also a very good analyst, with sharp insight and bold opinions.
“I feel,” he said, “like Mike and Jake, even to the lowest common denominator, it didn’t make sense.” Whether it makes sense of not, there are undoubtedly people who agree with what Porter is saying here. Tyson, after all, will be close to sixty years old this November. He won his first heavyweight belt in 1968 – almost forty years ago. What’s more, the scheduled Paul fight was postponed due to an incident Tyson had on a plane involving an inflamed ulcer. There are, no doubt, solid reasons for the man to ultimately be denied the chance to enter the ring again.
Yet amazingly enough, Tyson’s name is still golden all these years after this prime. If “Iron Mike’s” crowning achievement was his stunning first round knockout of Michael Spinks back in 1988, then the man will now be fighting a full 36 years after his prime. That, simply put, is shocking. And dangerous. And frightening. And still there’s something undoubtedly appealing about an aging lion stepping into a ring to take on a flashy young buck, a role Paul is no doubt relishing. Paul may not be Hall of Fame material, but there’s no doubt he’s determined, disciplined, regularly improving and in possession of some serious firepower. Against a man in his fifties, Paul is unquestionably a dangerous figure.
