By: Sean Crose
Providing there are no further disruptions, the highly publicized bout between former heavyweight great Mike Tyson and social media star turned professional boxer Jake Paul will go down November 15th at AT&T Stadium in Texas. The bout may likely draw a sell out crowd of close to 100,000 people and will also likely be a big earner on pay per view, where the desire for novelty fights like this one can earn a promotion a fortune. Tyson-Paul will occur almost 38 years after Tyson won his first heavyweight title in a two-round blowout Trevor Berbick back in 1986. Shocking stuff, to be sure.
The truth is that Tyson-Paul was supposed to have transpired this summer but an inflamed ulcer caused forced team Tyson to delay the bout. Indeed, there was reason to believe the fight might not even occur. Now, however, it seems like all systems are go – at least for the time being. “I had a small adversity. I got sick, but I feel good,” Tyson said at a weekend press conference to officially announce the match with Paul. “As soon as I catch this guy it’s going to be totally over, he is going to run. He is going to run like a thief.”
Tyson may be right, but those old legs of his are going to get older real quick if he doesn’t catch his man in the first few rounds. Not that the fighter once known as “Iron Mike” doesn’t have a chance of catching the far younger Paul early on. And if he does, Paul is going to find himself in an enormous amount of serious danger. The last thing they say to go on a fighter is power – and Tyson’s power is legendary. Also worth keeping in the mind is the fact that – although he takes boxing seriously – Paul is no great talent.
The fact of the matter is there’s good reason not to like this fight. Tyson is now closer to sixty than he is to fifty. That, simply put, means the guy is far too old to enter a boxing ring, even for a match with two minute rounds like the one with Paul will be. This fight has already been postponed once due to a medical issue. There are warning signs. It will take a lot more than warning signs to keep this gravy train from reaching the station, however. Too much money is at stake. There’s more than a bit of hubris involved, as well. Sure enough, the boxing icon from years ago may well be confident of winning come November. “Who else can do it but me?” Tyson asked at the weekend press conference.
