Legendary pugilist ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson snapped back at critics claiming he’s too old to compete.
On Saturday, July 20, the former heavyweight titleholder will return to the squared circle for a clash with YouTube star Jake Paul. The bout will air live on Netflix — a first for the streaming juggernaut — and emanate from the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
From the moment the bout was announced in March, pundits have focused heavily on the fact that by the time fight night rolls around, Tyson will be 58 years old, more than 30 years older than his opponent. During a recent interview with Reuters, Tyson attempted to quell the critics, making it clear that even at almost 60, he’s one of the sports’ biggest stars.
“I’m 58, and what? I’m getting billions of views from just talking about fighting,” Tyson said. “Everybody, even most of the athletes, they’re jealous… You couldn’t sell out an arena. Who at 58 can sell out an 80,000-seat arena? Why do you think he wants to fight me and not anybody else? All the boxers want to fight him. But if he fought them, the only people that will come are the people that like him. Their parents might not even come watch them.”
Fight Fans are eager to learn more about mike Tyson’s return to the ring
Thus far, no additional details regarding the fight have been announced. Specifically, whether or not it will be an exhibition match or a professional bout. If it proves to be the latter, it would be Tyson’s first since a 2005 loss to Kevin McBride.
In 2020, “the baddest man on the planet” competed in a charity scrap with Roy Jones Jr. which went to an eight-round draw. He has stayed active in the gym ever since. Paul featured on that same card, earning a second-round knockout against former NBA star Nate Robinson in the co-main event.
Tyson went 50-6 throughout his two-decade-long career, knocking out his first 19 opponents en route to capturing the WBC heavyweight title. He later added the WBA and IBF belts to his collection, reigning as the sport’s undisputed heavyweight world champion from 1987 to 1990.
As for Jake Paul, ‘The Problem Child’ will be gunning for his 10th career victory inside the ring. Overall, Paul is 9-1 with a majority of his wins coming against past-their-prime MMA stars, including Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz. Paul goes into his fight with Mike Tyson riding back-to-back first-round KOs against a pair of no-name opponents, Andre August and Ryan Bourland, under his Most Valuable Promotions banner.
