By Geno McGahee
Jake Paul, 9-1, 6 KO’s, is set to fight former Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, Mike Tyson, 50-6, 44 KO’s, on July 20th on Netflix in a big event that is gaining a lot of attention. It’s not taking long for many to forget the age of Tyson and how long he’s been out of the ring in a real fight and both Paul and Tyson are saying that this is a real fight.
I’m not totally immune to this hype as Tyson releases 30 seconds or so of him looking like his old self and hitting the mitts and asking Paul if he still wants to fight him. Much like every other boxing fan my age, we have invested a lot into Iron Mike and followed his entire career. He got so many, myself included, into boxing and we all want to see him return to form.
When the two fight, if it’s a real fight as they note, Tyson will be 58 and he’s not been in the ring since 2020 when he fought an exhibition against Roy Jones, JR. Mike looked good in that fight but he was also fighting another over the hill great fighter. He’s going to be four years older and four more years inactive. Since that time, Paul has had 8 fights.
It’s surprising to see so many dismiss Paul and are ready for Tyson to squash him and do it early and easily. There is an argument to be made that the power is the last thing to leave a fighter and that Mike will still be dangerous, but speed and reflexes mean a lot too and looking at the two fighters face to face from the promo, Paul looks much bigger at this point.
Paul is a good fighter and he keeps getting better, but the haters cannot give him a break, noting that he only beats up MMA guys. He moves on and fights boxers with winning records and now he’s only taking on tomato cans. In this fight, he’s doing himself no favors by fighting Tyson. If he wins, he beat up an old man. If he loses, everyone is going to say I told you so.
In 2020, I would actually favor Tyson to win by knockout over Paul, but he’s so much better now. So, if the fight is a fight and Tyson tries to be Tyson, he’s going to have some issues, including and especially a new tool that Paul has discovered, the right uppercut.
In his last two fights against Andre August and Ryan Bourland, Paul knocked them both out in the first and it was thanks mostly to his right uppercut. Even Tyson in his prime was susceptible to the uppercut. Tony Tucker stunned Tyson with an uppercut in 1987 and Buster Douglas knocked him out with one in 1990. Razor Ruddock, Lennox Lewis, and even Tony Tubbs were able to find Tyson with uppercuts, but he will be easier to find now and Paul knows this.
When the bell rings, I will be there with my Mike Tyson “Savage Mode” T shirt and I will be hoping that the champion finds that left hook and wins early and then walk away for good, but the most likely scenario will be much different. Without being hit in a long time and being so inactive, it’s fair to say that on top of being 58 year old, Tyson will be rusty and the punches that would have never made him flinch before will have a big impact on him. When you look at the Evander Holyfield – Vitor Belfort match, the great “Real Deal” was totaled in a round by a non-boxer that would not have lasted thirty seconds with a prime Holyfield. Father Time and many battles have taken their tolls on the former greats and I don’t believe that Iron Mike will dodge the effects.
So, there is time to go and there is a chance that the Tyson training videos will eventually make me change my mind. I’m not immune to buying into the hype and no other fighter in history created such excitement. I suspect I will debate with myself and eventually convince myself that Tyson will win, but I make that a big longshot.
I suspect that Tyson will be knocked out in the first two rounds with a right uppercut after Paul jabs and moves a little before settling in. Tyson will be two or three steps behind as he stalks and looks to land his punches, but you cannot take such an older fighter without a fight in so long and put him in with an active fighter that has been getting better and can really hit. Tyson should have started with Logan Paul. That fight he’d win.
So, out of respect for Iron Mike, I will watch and support and hope I’m wrong, but I think Paul knocks out Tyson in 2 rounds with the potential of a bad beating in the first round and it being stopped in the corner.
