Some people like it, some people disagree with it, and others don’t know what to think of it, but the reality is that a fight is going to take place on Friday night November 15th when former two-time world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson takes on YouTuber turned pro boxer Jake Paul.
The bout is set to take place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas which is the home of the Dallas Cowboys, and it will be streaming live on Netflix. The Tyson vs Paul matchup was initially planned to be an exhibition bout, but now it’s sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.
When we first heard about this unusual pairing, the fight was set to take place on June 20th, but because of a medical issue, the bout had to be postponed. Back in May, while on a flight scheduled from Miami to Los Angeles, Mike Tyson needed medical attention because he was suffering from an ulcer flare-up.
Since then, the boxing Hall of Famer has made a full recovery, and he’s preparing for the new fight date. Last week, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson held a press conference at the Fanatics Fest 2024 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York.
The press conference was hosted by former Pittsburgh Steelers and current sports analyst Ryan Clark. As expected, the city of New York gave Mike Tyson a warm reception, while the antagonist, Jake Paul, received some strong words from the crowd.
As Mike Tyson and Jake Paul answered questions in regard to the fight, you can sense that both boxers were experiencing a nervous type of tension. This unique pairing is suddenly becoming an interesting matchup because it’s apparent that both fighters are experiencing a certain level of fear.
For Jake Paul (10-1, 7 KOs), fear exists for obvious reasons. For the first time in his career, Jake Paul is facing an opponent who has high-level boxing skills. Paul is also facing an opponent who is capable of knocking him out with one single punch.
The early rounds will definitely be the danger zone for Jake Paul because that will be the period where many questions will be answered. Questions such as, Can Jake Paul fight off the back foot? Can he take a Tyson punch to the face? The most important question is, can he defend or absorb a Mike Tyson body shot?
While these unanswered questions may have Jake Paul feeling a certain level of fear and mental anxiety, Mike Tyson also has issues he has to mentally deal with. Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) is by far the more superior boxer, but the number that levels the playing field is Tyson’s age.
At the age of 58, Mike Tyson knows he’s not as fast or as quick as he used to be. Fortunately for Tyson, power is the last thing to go, and it seems like he’s retained enough power to hurt Jake Paul.
Mike Tyson may feel confident about navigating his way through the match without the tools that he knows he has lost, but does he feel some type of fear due to the unanswered questions?
The questions such as, does Mike Tyson have enough punch resistance left to absorb a right-hand shot from Jake Paul? Probably the most important question is, If Tyson can’t knock Jake Paul out after the first 3-4 rounds, does he have the stamina to go the distance? If the knockout doesn’t come early, what is Tyson’s Plan B?
These unanswered questions for Mike Tyson could be creating some doubt in the mind of the former two-time heavyweight champion. For the viewers who plan on watching this fight, these unanswered questions makes Tyson vs Paul a more intriguing bout, because all the answers will be generated on November 15th.
As far as a prediction, the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul is simple, but it’s not so simple because you don’t know what scenario is going to play out. Mike Tyson should be the favorite in the first half of the fight, but if the fight goes past four rounds, then Jake Paul should be able to win the contest.
