Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. The time is now.
Maybe that four-word cliché doesn’t do justice to the upcoming (momentous occasion?circus act? farce?) spectacle, but what else is there left to say about a boxing match few asked for, even fewer expected, and that, in all likelihood, will go down as one of the most watched fights in combat sports history?
When Paul and Tyson step into the ring Friday in Arlington, Texas, anyone with a Netflix subscription is just a few clicks away from seeing the infamous influencer take on a legend of the ring who turned 58 years in between when this fight was originally booked and when it is actually going down. Both fighters have promised this will not be a mere exhibition and that one will be left lying on the canvas.
So how will it all go down?
The MMA Fighting staff knuckled down to give their best guesses as to how Tyson vs. Paul will play out, from the possibility of a regrettable eight-rounder to *gasp* someone going down for the count.
Jed Meshew: We’ve written plenty about this fight already and a week close to the event my thoughts remain the same: this should not be taking place. Tyson is damn near a senior citizen and while he looks amazing for 58 years old, he’s still 58 years old. Tyson likely shouldn’t be fighting anyone at this point in time, but he certainly shouldn’t be fighting a man 30 years his junior. And I think Jake Paul knows it.
While Paul has talked a big game about knocking out Tyson and this being the springboard to bigger “real” boxing matches, he would have to be the dimmest bulb in the box not to realize how bad KO’ing Tyson would look for him. Yes, he’s made a career of beating old MMA fighters up, but Tyson is entirely more beloved and much, much older than those people. If Paul goes out there and thunks him, I think the backlash will be severe.
Add in that Tyson is probably physically incapable of putting on a real boxing match at this point and I strongly suspect the most likely outcome on Saturday is Jake Paul simply moves around the ring, jabs, and carries Mike to a decision in a glorified sparring session. Everyone gets paid, no one gets hurt.
Prediction: Paul def. Tyson via unanimous decision
Mike Heck: I’m with Jed on a lot of this. I absolutely have concerns. but I can at least take some solace in knowing that Tyson looked a billion and a half times better than Evander Holyfield did during his fight week with Vitor Belfort. In that fight, I think Holyfield understood the assignment. Belfort absolutely did not. The former UFC champ won, but he hasn’t recovered from being part of one of the saddest moments of the past decade.
As I said in our roundtable, I think—and I truly hope—we’ll get a Tyson vs. Jones-esque bout. Tyson has shown he can do the 65-70 percent thing, but still look very aggressive in doing so. Paul, as a showman, will likely do the same. I’ll agree with the above, Paul via decision in what I hope will be a fun experience where Paul can pay tribute to one of his heroes, while the former heavyweight champ has one last great moment in the ring with whatever faculties he has left in place.
Prediction: Paul def. Tyson via unanimous decision
Guilherme Cruz: I would love to come here and say you guys are all insane and a 58-year-old legend can still get it done even though he needs a cane to walk properly every time he leaves a plane, or maybe he would give us a wonderful real-life version of Rocky vs. Mason Dixon, but that would be me fooling myself.
When this fight first got booked, I thought Tyson could get it done. He definitely hits hard, he’s way more experienced than Paul, but I’ve changed my mind after seeing so many (short) clips of Tyson training. Rafael Cordeiro is a legendary coach brave enough to stand in front of one of the most violent men humanity has ever seen, but all we see is Tyson throwing the same combination over and over and over again.
Unless Tyson is cocooned back to his 30s, it won’t end well for him. I can’t stop thinking of Belfort rudely putting Holyfield away in seconds, and I fear that’s what we might get Friday. I choose to believe Paul is smart enough to play the game and carry Tyson for a proper sendoff.
Prediction: Paul def. Tyson via split decision
Alexander K. Lee: Where we’re going, we don’t need scorecards. Unfortunately.
If everyone involved is smart, this should be a sanctioned bout in name only with Paul and Tyson agreeing to go 80 percent tops for 24 minutes. That’s a big if though and I fully expect something to go haywire Friday. All it will take is one of the fighters (say, Paul) going a touch too hard in there, causing the other fighter (say, Tyson) to snap and revert to his basest instincts: that being throwing punches as hard as he can until a referee tells him to stop.
It was Tyson himself who famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face,” and as much as Tyson probably wants to stick to the script (metaphorically speaking, of course) how can he resist chasing one last moment of glory? One last knockout to truly cap off his career?
The bad news is that even if this happens and the fight actually becomes a fight, it’s the younger Paul most likely to score a knockout that will be a little impressive and a lot depressing. Let’s hope we’ve got a referee who knows what they’re doing so the ending isn’t worse than it has to be.
Prediction: Paul def. Tyson via fifth-round KO
Damon Martin: It’s difficult to imagine anybody feeling great after this fight is over.
The whole ordeal just feels dirty considering Paul—a 27-year-old social influencer-turned-boxing enthusiast—is taking on Tyson, once heralded as the most ferocious knockout artist on the planet… around 35 years ago. Yes, folks the last time Tyson seemed untouchable in the ring came all the way back in 1989 when he was still undefeated and seven months away from losing to Buster Douglas. You could even argue Tyson hasn’t actually thrown a meaningful punch in over 19 years and that’s if you count Kevin McBride as meaningful!
Now make no mistake, Tyson is in far better shape than your average 58-year-old. He’s probably more fit than most 38-year-old men, but the vast majority of those folks aren’t trying to take a professional boxing match for the first time in nearly 20 years. To his credit, Tyson looked pretty good when he sparred Roy Jones Jr. a few years ago but then you have to remember Jones is way, way past his prime and actually lost fairly recently to former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis—in a boxing match!
Yes, Tyson still hits hard and he’s probably forgotten more about boxing than Paul will ever know. Still, this is essentially a senior citizen signing up for a fist fight against a younger, bigger athlete who—for better or worse—really does hit hard. And because combat sports is almost allergic to giving us a happy ending, the sad reality is this fight probably ends with Tyson laid out and the promoters scrambling to justify making this matchup in the first place.
Prediction: Paul def. Tyson via third-round KO
Poll
How does Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul end?
-
0%
Paul wins by decision
(0 votes)
-
0%
Tyson wins by decision
(0 votes)
-
0%
Paul wins by knockout
(0 votes)
-
0%
Tyson wins by knockout
(0 votes)
-
0%
Draw/no-contest
(0 votes)
0 votes total
Vote Now
You must be logged in to post a comment Login