Promoter Oscar De La Hoya is conflicted about the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match on July 20th on Netflix.
While De La Hoya likes the idea of more fans tuning in to watch the sport, he feels it’s a bad image with the 27-year-old YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul facing the 58-year-old retired Tyson, who hasn’t fought in 19 years since 2005.
De La Hoya thinks that Jake has the youth and stamina of a young man to wear down Tyson to defeat him if the Texas Commission sanctions the fight as a real boxing match.
However, he does believe that Tyson hits hard enough to knock out Jake if he lands one of his big punches, and surprisingly, he still has superior hand speed than him.
Oscar feels that Jake should work through the ranks like other fighters, facing contenders to get to the level where he can fight for a world title. That’s not what Jake’s career is about. He’s doing this for money, peddling his fights to MMA fans and his large 26 million Instagram followers and making huge dough.
Jake’s past opponents:
- Tommy Fury: Second-tier cruiserweight
- Anderson Silva: 48-years-old
- Nate Diaz: 38
- Ben Askren: 39
- Tyrone Woodley x 2: 41
- Nate Robinson: 39
- Andre August: 35
- Ryan Bourland: 35
Jake is taking this fight for money and for no other reason. That’s his ultimate hustle, as he’s been fighting mostly older ex-NBA, MMA, and low-level boxers.
‘Not the Right Image’
“It’s going to bring more eyeballs to the sport of boxing, but my beef with it is it’s not the right image for us as a serious sport,” said promoter Oscar De La Hoya to Fighthype about the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight on July 20th.
“Jake Paul, I commend him for what he’s doing. Jake Paul can get to a world title, but if he takes a different route. This route, going up against Mike Tyson, it’s just not the right one for me. I love Mike Tyson and respect Mike Tyson, especially if Texas OKs this fight to be an officially sanctioned right,” said De La Hoya.
The Path to Legitimacy vs. The Spectacle
“I don’t know how that’s going to work. Mike Tyson is 60-years-old. Jake Paul is 26, 27. If Jake Paul wants to take boxing serious, take a different route,” said De La Hoya. “Take the route that all the other fighters take. Tough fights up the ranks. Top ten fighters, top five, world champions. Not this route with Tyson. That’s not the way to do it.”
Jake isn’t going to work his way up the ranks like other fighters because he’s clearly only interested in using boxing as a side gig to make easy money off of ex-MMA fighters and old boxers.
Tommy Fury is the only boxer that Jake has fought, and he’s British domestic level. He’s not world-class. If Jake was serious about having a real career, he’d fight guys like Jai Opetaia, Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, and Mairis Briedis. He won’t fight them, and the reasons are obvious. That’s not easy money.
“It’s going to be big business. I can understand Mike Tyson wanting to do this, the itch that he has, because I have it every day. Sometimes, we have to say, ‘It’s not our time anymore,’ and I love Mike.
“I hope he goes out there and puts on a performance of a lifetime. I love the eyeballs it’s going to bring boxing, and that’s all I care about,” said De La Hoya.
Business vs. Legacy
“Tyson still has the punching power. That’s the last thing that goes until you’re in your grave,” said De La Hoya. “If Tyson catches him with a good one, it’s lights out for Jake Paul. Imagine Tyson in a real fight. He still has that punching power.”
It’s going to be difficult for Jake to get out of the first two rounds without Mike getting to his chin and nailing him with shots. For that reason, Jake is likely going to be moving around nonstop and looking to tie Tyson up whenever he gets near. It’ll be kind of like how Tommy Fury fought him with his constant clinching.
“If Jake Paul has the conditioning as a young man that he is, he should be able to tire out Tyson. Yeah, he should be able to tire out. That’s the history of the game. Again, one punch from Tyson can do it, and it’s sayonara,” said De La Hoya.
