Mike Tyson will step back into the ring after a long break to face Jake Paul. The former heavyweight champion, now 58, will take on the YouTuber-turned-boxer on November 15 at AT&T; stadium in Texas. Netflix will stream the bout live as part of its standard subscription.
Tyson's last professional fight happened nearly twenty years ago. The match was initially postponed due to an ulcer flare-up, but Tyson now claims he's in great shape. He's even vowed to end Paul's boxing career.
Many fighters have raised concerns about the age difference between the two boxers. Deontay Wilder, the former WBC heavyweight champion, spoke out about the fight. He shared his thoughts with talkSPORT.
"I think it's bad the commission has licensed Mike Tyson because he hasn't been active in 20 years, so they should not just licence him because of who he is, that's how people get hurt, god forbid he gets hurt. People can get hit in the wrong place and at the wrong time, there's lots of examples where guys have been hit into a coma. It's easy to do. He's too old for this."
Wilder doesn't think anyone truly cares about Tyson's well-being. He believes the fight got sanctioned despite the risks.
"At the end of the day, no one gives a f*** about Mike. We can talk about the pros and cons, but at the end of the day, they don't give a f***. I don't think anyone cares about Mike because if they did they wouldn't sanction the fight."
The former champ also doubts Tyson's ability to perform at a high level.
"They may say they've done tests and all that, ok, but as long as you're willing to suffer the consequences if something bad goes wrong. His power may not have left completely but you still need to set it up, your stamina needs to be a certain way, or it's going to look like a clown show."
As the fight date gets closer, more voices will likely join the debate about this unusual matchup between a boxing legend and a social media star turned fighter.
