Mike Tyson says he’s open to fighting Jake Paul this year.
Mike Tyson returned in 2020 for a bout with fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr and looked surprisingly good for his advanced age. A follow up fight seemed unlikely, with Tyson saying last February that it isn’t fun anymore because he kept on dealing with issues in training.
A few months later, and he now seems to be more open to the idea. In an appearance with Jimmy Kimmel, Tyson was asked about Jake Paul’s call out.
“That could be very interesting,” Tyson said about a potential Jake Paul bout. “I never really took it serious, but yeah it could be really interesting.
“Everything is possible, yeah,” he said. “But it gotta happen this year. It gotta happen this year.”
Tyson also gave Paul props, saying there’s nothing to hate on the YouTuber as he’s been helping the sport of boxing tap into a different audience.
“He’s skilled enough, yes,” Tyson said about Paul. “I’m gonna give it to him. He’s skilled enough because he’s winning. Even if he’s fighting guys that you guys don’t believe is a good enough fighter, they should be able to beat him, but they can’t. He’s beating people that he shouldn’t really be beating. We got to give him that credit.
“And he’s doing so much good for boxing. Listen, this guy got 70 million people following him every time he fights. Champions of the world don’t have that many people following them. So what he’s doing for boxing is just sensational. No one should be hating on that, he’s helping everyone get money. Why are people mad at him?”
The former heavyweight champion will turn 56 this month, while the the 5-0 Paul is less than half his age at 25.
Tyson was previously linked to a big money fight against Jake’s brother Logan Paul, but the bout didn’t push through with Tyson citing training issues along with a legal dispute with Triller.