Netflix Preview Series, Countdown: Paul Vs Tyson, aired, prefacing the November 15 live coverage of Jake Paul’s boxing match with Mike Tyson. It’s a competition that has divided opinion not only in boxing circles but also in the public forum. Iron Mike, once the self-proclaimed “the worst man in boxing” is now 58 years old, while Paul, the world-famous YouTuber and modern-day boxer, is 27. The two men face off at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, after the fight’s original date, July 20, was canceled when Tyson suffered had a health scare and needed medical attention on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles.
In the ethereal world of social media, it’s a fight that means something. Jake Paul, who calls himself The Problem Child, has built a ten-year career out of being obnoxious across multiple platformsbut mainly Vine, YouTube and TikTok. At age 17, he was preaching to more than 10 million subscribers before Jake Paul moved on to the lucrative world of UFC and professional boxing, where he had a short series of highly publicized low-level fights. Tyson’s last professional competition was more than 20 years ago, a loss to journeyman Kevin McBride, which was due more to Tyson’s physical deterioration than his opponent’s punches.
There are concerns about Mike Tyson’s age and health for fighting Jake Paul
Mike Tyson is 58 years old and last fought 20 years ago
It is Tyson’s age and health that are the event’s main bone of contention. Professional boxers usually finish in their late thirties, and even a freak like George Foreman, who won the world heavyweight title in 1994 at age 45, died three years later. Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson largely sidesteps the issue, preferring Rocky-style footage of Tyson attacking padded trainers and heavy bags, looking fit and fabulous against a static opponent who doesn’t fight back.
Proponents of the dispute point to Tyson’s exhibition fight four years ago with Roy Jones Jr, when the two legends fought 10 rounds of insipid tiptoe action, as proof that Iron Mike is up to the fight with Paul. They ignore, of course, the sciatica that left him in a wheelchair after the Miami episode, which he admits gets worse from time to time, or the ulcers he suffers fromor the general physical dissipation that accompanies middle age/old age. The Paul-Tyson fight is not an exhibition, and real punches will be thrown. As commentator Jim Lampley once said: “The boxing ring is the wrong place to grow old.”
Jake Paul’s boxing career is already controversial and that makes it worth it for him
Paul’s boxing credentials are questionable
Jake Paul, of course, isn’t focused on Mike Tyson’s well-being. There’s a lot of money to be made and millions of eyes to fool. Paul’s boxing career is as ephemeral as his online presenceand no matter how much he talks about the struggle in Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson: “When I knock him out I’ll be the new face of boxing“, his exploits in the ring have so far been widely ridiculed by boxing aficionados. Says former world champion Carl Froch:”I don’t really take Jake Paul seriously. He doesn’t know how to box. If you put him with a professional it would be a mismatch.”
Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson conveniently ignores Paul’s only competition against a “real” boxer, fellow rookie, and social media star Tommy Fury, whose professional credentials owe more to the genes he shares with former world heavyweight champion Tyson Furythan his ability in the ring. Still, Paul lost that fight. His 10 wins have come against other YouTubers, NBA and NFL stars, and aging MMA fighters. Without a single significant success as a professional boxer, Jake Paul has leveraged his social media presence to become one of the sport’s most talked-about commodities.
Will Paul vs. Tyson be a legitimate boxing fight?
The two boxers will share $60 million
Whatever his perceived flaws, Jake Paul, at 27, is big and strong, and trains hard and diligently. Mike Tyson is 58 years old. He was a diminished boxer at age 38, and nothing in the next 20 years will have reversed that. In Countdown: Paul Vs Tyson, he is shown in visible form, with his trademark menace intact. He growls his tired old slogans at the media hounds surrounding the event: “My intentions are serious. I want to hurt him. I am an animal,” and dutifully faced off against the frantic Paul at the press conferences and events that typically involve big prize fights.
Paul and Tyson are expected to split about $60 million from the fight, but that will mean little to the aging Tyson if he is injured, and Paul’s credentials will not be improved by a fight.
Eddie Hearn, promoter and one of boxing’s most influential figures, harshly criticized the fight, saying theexpress.co.uk: “Anyone who thinks that [Tyson] should be in the ring right now either he doesn’t have our best interests at heart or he’s an idiot.” It should be noted that Hearn has no financial interest in the fight. Paul and Tyson are expected to share around $60 million from the fight, per thestandard.combut it will mean little to the aging Tyson if he is injured, and Paul’s fisting credentials will not be enhanced by a fight. In Countdown: Paul Vs Tyson, Paul says, “When I beat Mike Tyson, people don’t give me credit. This won’t change anything.“He’s right, of course, and neither should he.
SOURCES: express.co.uk, thestandard.com