Mike Tyson will step back into the ring for a controversial bout against Jake Paul next month. The former heavyweight champion, now 58 years old, will face the YouTuber turned boxer on November 15 in Texas, with Netflix set to broadcast the event.
Larry Holmes, the former heavyweight legend who fought Tyson in 1988, shared his thoughts on the upcoming fight in an interview with OLGB. Holmes, known as the "Easton Assassin," didn't hold back when describing his own experience against Tyson.
"Mike knocked the s**t out of me, he hit me so hard I went 'wooooo'. And he beat me. It was embarrassing. I remember the right hand he hit me with – I thought at the time 'he should be locked up' because of the power, and he kept on coming, growling like Joe Frazier."
Holmes broke down Tyson's fighting style, explaining that "Iron Mike" tends to duck, move his head, and get in close. He'll take a punch or two to close the distance, then work on the body before targeting the head.
When it comes to Tyson's punching power, Holmes put him right at the top with another legendary heavy hitter.
"Earnie Shavers was one of the hardest punchers there's ever been and Mike is right up there with him at the top. Earnie Shavers was the hardest I've ever faced but when Tyson hits, he tries to kill you."
Holmes warned Paul about Tyson's resilience, saying, "Mike can take a good punch, I hit him a couple of times and he kept on coming."
After watching recent footage of Tyson training, Holmes had some advice for Paul: "Jake better be ready if he's going to fight Mike. Mike will be able to last the two-minute rounds. Mike comes to fight when he puts his mind to it, he goes to work on you."
The former champ stressed that if Paul tries to trade punches with Tyson, he'll likely lose early. Holmes' final warning to the YouTube star was clear: "Jake will hit him, but Mike is going to keep on coming. He better be ready for Mike to keep coming forward with punches."
Holmes himself was stopped by Tyson in 1988, the first time in his career he'd been finished. Now, all eyes will be on Texas next month to see if the 58-year-old Tyson can recapture some of that old magic against the much younger Paul.
