The fighting world never fails to surprise us and it did so again when Mike Tyson’s return to boxing was announced in a clash against the controversial Jake Paul.
Aside from one exhibition bout which saw him battle to a draw against Roy Jones Jr. back in 2020, Tyson hasn’t stepped into the squared circle since 2006—with his last professional fight coming in June 2005. Despite being out of the game for so long, the 57-year-old continues to be one of the biggest names in all of combat sports.
He is respected by many for his dominant past in the ring and Mike Tyson himself believes that he is still a huge draw regardless of his age.
“I’m 58 and what? I’m getting billions of views from just talking to somebody about fighting,” Tyson told Reuters. “Everybody, even most of the athletes, they’re jealous. That’s whack.”
“I say in your prime, you couldn’t draw a million people, man. What are you talking [about]? You couldn’t sell out an arena. Who at 58 could sell out an 80,000-seat arena?”
Comparing himself to other potential opponents, Tyson detailed why he thinks Jake Paul chose to face him ahead of anybody else.
“Why [do] you think he wants to fight me and not anybody else? Everybody wants to fight him, all the boxers want to fight him.”
Related: Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul set for July 20
“But, if he fought them, the only people that will come are the people that like him. The other guys, their parents might not even come watch them. That’s just keeping it real. They’re too boring for their children to watch, it’s like watching grass grow.”
Jake Paul is exuding confidence ahead of the bout and both he and Mike Tyson expect to get the job done via knockout. Whether you love him or hate him, Jake’s ability to put on huge events is second to none right now.
The collision will take place on Saturday, July 20. The pair will meet in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and the fight will be available to all Netflix subscribers.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/mike-tyson-believes-hes-bigger-draw-at-age-58-ahead-of-jake-paul-fight
