(photo: Reproduction/Instagram)
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson plans to enter the ring once again, now aged 58. The opponent will be YouTuber Jake Paul, 30 years younger. The rules for the fight have not yet been announced and many wonder if it will be just an exhibition or a professional fight. Regardless of the terms, critics highlight on social media that Tyson is at serious risk for facing a much younger opponent.
Never one to back down from a fight, Tyson is now hitting back at his detractors. “I’m 58 years old and what? I’m getting billions of views just for talking to someone about fighting,” Tyson said in an interview with Reuters.
“Everyone, even most athletes, are jealous. This is crazy. … I say in your heyday you couldn’t attract a million people, man. What are you talking about – you couldn’t fill an arena. Who at 58 could fill an 80,000-seat arena?” he asked.
Tyson x Paul
The fight is scheduled for July 20, at AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The fight will still be broadcast on Netflix.
Tyson, a former heavyweight champion, retired from professional boxing in 2005 with a record of 50 wins and 6 losses. He even returned to the ring in 2020 for an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr.
In that fight, the fighters wore 12-ounce gloves, no side judge counted the points and the winner was not announced.
Jake Paul, meanwhile, has a 9-1 professional record since turning pro in 2020.
