On Thursday, March 7, former boxer Mike Tyson announced that he would step back into the ring to fight current boxer and popular YouTuber Jake Paul. The fight is set to take place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20th. The fight will stream live on Netflix for all to watch. Many people say that this fight isn’t fair since Tyson will be 58 and Paul will be 27 at the time of the match, however the majority of people think Jake Paul has no chance at beating one of the greatest boxers of all-time.
Aidan Laolagi, an 8th grader at Rio Norte, says, “I think that these boxers are, surprisingly, evenly matched because Jake Paul is in the Prime of his career and life but also one of the greatest boxers of all time, Mike Tyson is a pretty old dude but he is still somewhat “Iron Mike”. So once again, these players are evenly matched, but I am going to go with Jake Paul since Mike Tyson is not in his prime anymore. I will not be surprised, however, to see Mike Tyson still win.” Aidan makes a valid point since the age difference between these two is 31 years. However, Tyson is called “Iron Mike” for a reason. His accolades don’t lie. He is the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles. He was the first heavyweight boxer to hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles simultaneously. Jake Paul can’t be underestimated either. Although he has had a significantly shorter career than Tyson, Paul has racked up several wins himself. He started boxing in 2018 and ever since then his career has been very successful. He currently has a 9-1 record with 6 KO wins. Paul also has areputation for heavy trash talking, this is made very clear in his YouTube video titled, “I’m Fighting Mike Tyson.” where he mocks Tyson’s face tattoo and shows himself biting Tyson’s ear off.
Aidan’s thoughts are very significant, however this is just one person. According to a USA Today article, But DraftKings Sportsbook head oddsmaker Johnny Avello gave his early odds of who will come out on top in the Tyson vs. Paul bout. Moneyline: Paul (-360), Tyson (+300).” Even though it’s too early to tell, it seems like the odds are heavily in favor of Mike Tyson. The older viewers seem to favor Tyson the most likely because they witnessed him in his prime.
With all the commotion over this fight, there comes a fair amount of critics. Quickly after news of the fight was released, rumors spread around social media that competitors were using headgear and 18-ounce gloves, however an article by GiveMeSport put these rumors to rest stating that, “’Iron Mike’s’ most recent contest [with Jones Junior] took place over eight two-minute rounds – with the pair wearing 12-ounce gloves, but no headgear. It appears that a similar arrangement is being sought for his clash with Paul.”
No matter the outcome, this fight will go down in the history books as it’s likely that this is the last time we will see Mike Tyson in the ring. The question remains will we see him end his career on a victory, or will he lose in the hands of the future of boxing, Jake Paul?