The announcement of the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson has taken the boxing world by storm. The fight, which will be live streamed on Netflix on July 20, 2024, received a mixed response from the combat sports community, both boxing and MMA.
For the combat sports fans, the age difference between the duo has caused a worry. Nonetheless, preluding the much-anticipated fight, Mike Tyson was interviewed on Fox News by Sean Hannity where the legend shared his mentality going into the fight.
Mike Tyson sheds light on Jake Paul bout
Mike Tyson once held the unofficial moniker of ‘The Baddest Man Alive’ when he was the heavyweight champion of professional boxing. Now closing at 60 years of age, people still fear the ferociousness of Tyson. However, he not going into the fight overconfident against Paul.
“Right now I’m scared to death,” said Tyson on Fox News as he stated that his mentality will change as the fight gets closer and he will be less nervous. Tyson considers himself ‘Invincible’ in reality and can also be defeated.
“I don’t have any grudges against him,” said Tyson about his thoughts about Jake Paul. Tyson called Paul a beautiful person but sent a stern warning that Paul would be greatly mistaken when he stepped inside the ring on July 20.
Paul is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Ryan Bourland in Puerto Rico. He is 9-1 as a professional boxer with the loss coming against Tommy Fury. He has defeated a lot of veteran MMA fighters in boxing but has not yet faced a boxer like Mike Tyson.
Many in the combat sports community do not think the fight is a good idea. Dana White, the UFC CEO is very skeptical of the fight mainly due to Tyson being twice the years older than Paul.
Eddie Hearn, the Matchroom Boxing promoter, ‘felt sad’ about the fight whereas Conor McGregor, the former UFC champion, questioned the level of interest in the fight between Tyson and Paul.
What are the rules in Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul bout?
Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul is not a sanctioned professional boxing fight per USA Today. The fight is an exhibition boxing match, which both Paul and Tyson have done with other fighters in the past. Tyson’s latest fight against Roy Jones Jr. was also an exhibition boxing fight.
Therefore, each round of the fight will be 2 minutes long instead of 3 minutes. The total number of rounds for the fight has not been announced yet. However, it is likely that there won’t be more than 10 rounds. The chances are that it will be a maximum of 6 or 8 rounds.
Moreover, the fighters will have to wear 16-ounce gloves instead of 10-ounce gloves. This is done to protect the fighters as the bigger gloves will have more padding. Nonetheless, many speculate that having bigger gloves will favor Tyson over Paul.
Furthermore, as it is an exhibition bout, there won’t be judges. There will indeed be a referee, and the only ways a fighter could win the bout are via knockout, referee stoppage, or corner stoppage.
If the fight goes the distance, no victor will be declared. Logan Paul, Jake’s older brother, fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a similar exhibition bout that went the full distance.
Who do you think will win the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul? Leave your prediction below!
