Mike Tyson and Jake Paul are getting ready to face each other in the ring. The match between the 57-year-old former heavyweight champ and the YouTuber-turned-boxer has got people talking.
Lennox Lewis, who beat Tyson back in 2002, thinks 'Iron Mike' still packs a punch that could knock Paul out. Lewis and Tyson are just a year apart in age, and Lewis doesn't think Tyson's age will hold him back much.
In a chat with Fight Hub TV, Lewis shared his thoughts on these new types of boxing events:
"That's what I call them – exhibitions. Youtube fights. It can't be serious fights, it's just an event to me … Of course [I watch them] you never know what's gonna pop up."
Lewis isn't sure about the rules or what exactly will happen in the ring. But he sees why people are interested:
"I don't even know what the rules are, I don't know what's happening. I'm happy for them, I think they're gonna make a good bag and make it exciting. There are a lot of kids that love Jake Paul, a lot of kids that love Tyson. They want to see what's gonna happen in the ring. Me too."
When it comes to picking a winner, Lewis is backing his old rival:
"Mike Tyson's gonna win. Mike Tyson's not that old. Don't take him too softly. We're one year apart … You can fight somebody like that and do well, because the person you're fighting is not a true fighter and there's a hundred things that you've forgotten that he's learning."
Lewis thinks Tyson's experience will be too much for Paul. But he adds that if the fight goes on for a while, Tyson's age might start to show. On the flip side, Lewis warns that Tyson's famous combo could spell trouble for Paul:
"If they get close and Mike Tyson comes with his ten second combination, if one of those punches catches [Paul] he's definitely gonna go down."
Freddie Roach, who used to train Tyson later in his career, has also weighed in on the fight. But we'll have to wait and see if his thoughts match up with Lewis's prediction.
Lewis knows firsthand what it's like to face Tyson in the ring. He stopped 'Iron Mike' in the eighth round of their 2002 bout. Now, all eyes are on Tyson as he prepares to take on a very different kind of opponent in Jake Paul.
