Mike Tyson posted new training footage today of himself hitting the heavy bag, preparing for his July 20th fight against YouTuber turned-boxer Jake Paul. The two fighters are headlining at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium.
The 57-year-old former unified heavyweight champion Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) looks amazingly fast, with better hand speed than the highly popular world champions Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, and Terence Crawford.
How does a fighter as old as Mike Tyson possess better hand speed than the sport’s stars? Tyson has been blessed with speed and power that current top heavyweights could only imagine possessing. Still, Tyson is nearing 60, and it’s risky for him to return to the ring against a big puncher like cruiserweight Jake Paul.
Most old-school boxing fans don’t rate Jake’s talent as a boxer, but it’s clear that he’s a big puncher with his right hand and can knock out anybody at cruiserweight or heavyweight if he connects in the right spot.
Besides being old and inactive, Mike Tyson has never had the greatest chin, and his stamina had been a problem that had led to his defeats against Kevin McBride, Danny Williams, Evander Holyfield and James ‘Buster’ Douglas during his career.
The Future: More Paydays or More Risk?
If ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson successfully defeats Jake Paul, it’s quite possible that it could lead to another massive payday against perhaps a former boxer. The options are endless for Tyson if he chooses to continue fighting YouTubers.
You have Logan, Paul, and KSI, which would be excellent fights for Mike. How much risk is Tyson willing to take to add millions to his bank account?
Another great option for Tyson would be former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, who looked inept in his second-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua last Friday night. Ngannou made Joshua look good, creating more interest in his career after he was viewed as washed.
Looking at how useless Ngannou was in that fight, you’d have to give Mike Tyson an excellent chance of knocking him out in the first round by jumping on him and hitting him with left hooks and right hands.
