Nineteen years ago, two-time world heavyweight champion “Iron” Mike Tyson participated in his last official fight, but on Friday night, November 15, Tyson will return to the ring in a sanctioned fight against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
The fight will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and will air live on Netflix. The clash of Tyson vs. Paul was originally scheduled to take place on July 20th, but had to be postponed due to Tyson suffering from a burning wound while traveling.
Jake Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) began his professional boxing career in January 2020. The last time Paul competed inside the squared circle was July 20, when he scored a 6th round TKO victory over Mike Perry. Now Paul has a chance to face a Hall of Fame boxer who is past his prime.
Decades ago, back in 1986, at the age of 20, Mike Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick to become the youngest champion in boxing history. After winning the WBC title, Tyson would go on to go unchallenged and dominate the heavyweight division for the next three years.
After losing his undefeated crown to 42 to 1 underdog Buster Douglas in 1990, Mike Tyson regained the title when he defeated Frank Bruno in March 1996. After winning the WBC title, Tyson added the WBA belt six months later when he took out Bruce Seldon. in the first round.
1996 was the last year that Tyson became a world champion. He went on to lose back-to-back bouts against Evander Holyfield. Twenty-four years after their second fight, Evander Holyfield did what Tyson would try to do.
In September 2021, Evander Holyfield, 58, returned to the boxing ring to face 44-year-old former MMA champion, Vitor Belfort. Four-time heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield looked very slow, and his thinking was not the same.
With 38 seconds left in the opening round, Vitor Belfort knocked Holyfield down. Holyfield was able to stand up, but as the match continued, Belfort unleashed a flurry of punches that forced the referee to step in and stop the contest.
Now Holyfield’s rival Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) will try to compete inside the ring at the age of 58. Tyson has not participated in a sanctioned fight in over nineteen years. Tyson has lost three of his last four fights at the end of his boxing career.
Back in 2020, Mike Tyson faced Roy Jones Jr. in the highly anticipated show. In a slow game, two legends entertained the crowd. On November 15, Tyson will face a younger opponent who will look to push the pace. The question is, will 58-year-old Mike Tyson end up like 58-year-old Evander Holyfield?
Over the past four years, Jake Paul has dedicated himself to the sport of boxing, and he has improved a lot. His jab has improved, and his takedown power is legit.
Paul is 31 years younger than Tyson, and will have advantages in speed and strength. If Paul can survive the early rounds, he has a good chance to score the winning goal.
Mike Tyson has lost many of his physical attributes, but one thing he still has in his arsenal is punching power. It could be a short contest if Tyson can get a clean shot on Paul early.
However, if Jake Paul can weather the storm and get out of the early rounds, that could spell trouble for Tyson. If Mike Tyson, who is past his prime, must lean on his strength, it will be like fighting fans watching another 58-year-old Hall of Fame boxer get embarrassed in the ring.
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