By: Sean Crose
Despite the belief that this July’s Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight would be an exhibition match, the much anticipated novelty bout will now officially be a professional affair. “Mike Tyson wanted it to be a pro fight,” Paul posted on social media Monday. “Netflix wanted it to be a pro fight. So I agreed to make it a pro fight. Winner takes all.” Whether or not Paul means the winner will take all the available money after the fight is over remains to be seen. Tyson, however, is clearly happy with this latest development. “Yes,” the former heavyweight champion posted, “it’s a real sanctioned fight with @jakepaul.”
Tyson, one of the most well known people on the entire planet, was a powerhouse in his prime. With ferocious offense and a highly underrated defense, the man was like Jack Dempsey 2.0, an absolute wrecking machine. Just how dominant was Tyson? At 20, he became history’s youngest heavyweight titlist by knocking out Trevor Berbereck. Less than a year later, he became undisputed heavyweight champion of the world by besting Tony Tucker. Then, less than a year after that, the kid from the mean streets of Brooklyn became the lineal heavyweight champion of the world by knocking out the great Michael Spinks in 90 seconds. It remains a run that’s hard to top.
Yet Tyson’s fall was just about as grandiose as his rise. After getting stunned by James “Buster” Douglas in 1990, the man spiraled for years both in and out of the ring. And, although he still had moments of glory, the glory days were clearly over. Tyson’s last fight saw him being bested by the largely unknown Kevin McBride in 2005. That was almost 20 years ago. Yet Tyson appears to have changed for the better as the years have passed. He’s ubiquitous in western culture once again, and appears to once more be in menacingly good condition.
The question, however, is a simple one: Will he be able to beat Paul at 58 years of age? Although few would seriously consider the brash Paul a great boxer, he’s certainly not a bad one. Plus, at the age of 27, he’ll essentially be two decades younger than the aging legend when he steps into the ring to face Tyson at AT&T Stadium this summer. The rules for this fight, however, may well work in Tyson’s favor. The bout will only be eight rounds – what’s more, each round will be two minutes long rather than three.
And lastly, anything can happen in boxing.