Fans trash Jake Paul for challenging a ‘washed up’ Mike Tyson
Associated PressA shocking announcement hit the combat sports community on Thursday, as Jake Paul and Mike Tyson agreed to a boxing match on Netflix.
Jake Paul is 9-1 in his boxing career, with victories against aging basketball players and mixed martial artists. His lone loss came against Tommy Fury, a professional boxer.
Conversely, Mike Tyson is 50-6 in his boxing career, including 44 exciting knockouts. However, it’s been nearly two decades since “Iron Mike” fought a professional bout.
Now, the two will square off at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. The fight will air live on Netflix on July 20.
This announcement paves the way for the streaming platform to get its first taste of influencer boxing. And it won’t require an added pay-per-view charge, either.
Fans post strong reactions to Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight
Paul spent the morning hyping up the fight with Tyson, explaining that the 57-year-old may be past his prime, but the power still lives in that right hand.
However, as the community note under the post states, Paul’s video on X is four years old. It came when Tyson was preparing for a 2020 exhibition match vs. Roy Jones Jr. — the last time he was in the ring.
The upcoming scrum brought Tyson’s previous podcast appearance back to the forefront. In the clip, the boxing phenom explains that a fight between the two wouldn’t be competitive.
A former world champion expecting to knock out a YouTuber-turned-boxer isn’t surprising on the surface, but fans pointed out prior health concerns as a reason Tyson could lose.
Some fans claim that the near-60-year-old Tyson will end the night flat on his back, with one X user offering their take on the match.
But Tyson has his fair share of supporters, whether it’s a genuine belief that he will win or if fans just want to see Paul humbled.
It goes deeper than fans picking Tyson, as some folks are outright begging for Paul to go to sleep during the fight.
Paul’s viability as a top-shelf boxer is still very much in contention with fans. And it’s fair to wonder if Paul has gotten himself into a lose-lose situation.
Either he beats up a 57-year-old, and fans belittle that victory. Or he loses to a 57-year-old, and fans continue to diminish what Paul has accomplished to this point.
But in Paul’s perspective, as someone who grew up watching Mike Tyson highlights, it would give him a win vs. one of the most fearsome boxers ever to live — even if he’s approaching 60.
