The event between social media influencer turned aspiring boxer Jake Paul and International Boxing Hall of Famer and two-time World Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was one that stirred much opinion, criticism, and worry for Tyson’s health given that he would be getting back into the ring at fifty-eight years of age, more than twenty years removed from his last competitive fight in 2005 and four years removed from a charity exhibition, which had been the only time he had entered a Boxing ring since retirement. It was also a circumstance that as most events featuring those labeled as “Influencers” going against an athlete or a celebrity in a Boxing ring drew significant interest, particularly among those who are casual sports observers. For better or worse, that was the target demographic of the promotion and not those for whom Boxing is a regular passion.
Part of the draw was of course the appeal of Mike Tyson, a fighter whom in his prime was the primary drawing card of his time in the sport where no matter who he fought, drew significant interest. The interest, which was rooted in the fact that he would often destroy his opponents with a mix of hand speed and punching power that had not been seen before. It was and is this appeal where even many years removed from that athletic prime, there are those who still have the images implanted in their minds of the great fighter Tyson was as well as what he meant to the sport. Perhaps this is the reason why so many people were willing to overlook the logical aspects of what was going to take place when Tyson climbed back into the ring against Paul. Logical aspects such as advanced age and the things that naturally occur in all of us as we get older. In the context of combat sports athletes, this means eroded skills and slowed reflexes as well as more often than not, not being able to have as much flexibility or reaction time as they had in their younger days.
In Tyson’s case, his appeal was and will likely remain strong simply because of what he meant to the sport and the fact that thanks to the advent of streaming, access to his fights where he was in his prime and scoring devastating knockouts is more accessible than ever, which makes it easier for those who were not around during that time to see what he was all about. As one who grew up recording fights and still watches as much Boxing from decades prior to when I came along, and as someone who was around during Tyson’s prime and one who got to cover him from the mid-1990s when I began my career covering combat sports, through his retirement, I concede that technology has certainly evolved and access to fight films both from many years gone by as well as current bouts, has come a long way since the days when I recorded all I could on VHS tapes. Having said that, what access to those classic bouts can do for those who are casual fans is at times provide a false sense of belief that what they might be watching, which can be decades old, would be similar to what they would see if a fighter from that time got back into the ring in the present day, neglecting the passage of time and what happens to someone as they age.
Fighters too often fall into this belief as there is always the mentality among fighters that even years after retirement, they always have one more fight in them. While there will always be debates among Boxing lifers such as this observer as to what might have happened if a great fighter from one era faced a fighter from a more recent time where both were in their prime form, the belief that fighters tend to have about always having one more in them regardless of those logical factors is something that worries yours truly.
In this case, there was evidence that had me voicing concern as many others had for Tyson’s health. As some will recall in previewing this event, I brought up a similar circumstance that occurred three years ago when former Tyson opponent and fellow Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield got back into the ring at the same age Tyson did against Paul fifty-eight, to compete in a bout against former MMA world champion Vitor Belfort. Out of respect for the reader and the fact that discussing what occurred that night in September 2021 still stirs feelings of disgust for what was allowed to go occur that evening and keeping in mind that I already discussed it prior to this event, I will surmise it by saying though Holyfield visually looked to be in immaculate condition for someone approaching sixty years old prior to getting into the ring, the effects of age as well as the punishment he had suffered throughout his long career were impossible to ignore as Holyfield could not maintain his balance or protect himself in what ended up being one of the many black eyes in the Boxing history.
In the lead-up to this fight, frankly, I had feelings similar to those I had in the days before Holyfield-Belfort. A sincere concern and worry for Tyson’s well-being given his age, despite the visual evidence that he looked to be in great condition for a former fighter at an advanced age. Unlike the circumstances with Holyfield, however, I did not get any information prior to this event that suggested to me that Tyson would be compromised as Holyfield was. Nevertheless, as one who has seen an endless number of fighters getting back into the ring at advanced ages with that belief of having at least one more fight in them, often leading to scenes that are difficult to watch, my concern remained. It is, however, important to keep in mind that Tyson was getting into a ring with someone, who was thirty-one years younger, but one who does not have the level of experience of a seasoned boxer, having built his career on facing MMA fighters, with little to no Boxing experience, a former NBA basketball player, fellow influencers, and having a 2-1, with 2 Knockouts record against those with strictly Boxing backgrounds. Based on this, there was at least some question as to what might happen if Tyson were able to land punches effectively, despite the age difference and facing someone who is a good athlete though limited in terms of Boxing experience.
Although the encounter, which took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX on November 15th had slight modifications in the rules including two minute rounds and the use of sixteen ounce gloves and not the standard ten ounce gloves, which are used in standard Heavyweight fights, which seemed to at least on the surface benefit Tyson, it did not take long for reality to set in. Tyson appeared to show some flashes of what he once was early, applying pressure on Paul and landing a few hooks to the head. The obvious effects of advanced age appeared almost simultaneously as Tyson quickly found it difficult to use his legs to execute his lateral movement and had some trouble using his head movement to evade Paul’s longer reach and get on the inside where he could do damage. Paul was also able to clip Tyson with a few good punches throughout the scheduled eight round bout that seemed to stagger his legs.
As the bout progressed, Tyson showed less and less movement, less and less ability to land punches, and the only question I had in my mind was whether he would be allowed to finish the contest. Although Jake Paul has been the subject of much criticism including from this observer for seemingly thinking that one can build a legitimate Boxing career and get into position to fight for world championships by facing the types of opposition he has, none of which has come against a serious contender in any division, he did show some class and humility in this encounter by clearly not pressing the issue where he likely would have stopped Tyson and allowing the legend to go the distance in what was an uneventful contest, which though classified as an official fight, which Paul won by margins of eight rounds to zero on one scorecard and seven rounds to one on the other two, should have been designated as an exhibition.
Despite the criticisms of many, including yours truly of Paul for the aforementioned reasons, there is no disputing he has established himself as one of the sport’s rising promoters and he has done good for the sport in giving a platform for young fighters through his Most Valuable Promotions promotional company as well as being a strong advocate for Women’s Boxing, which I do respect. It was his promotional savvy that likely inspired digital streaming subscription entertainment network Netflix to get involved in the sport as the Tyson-Paul event was the first Boxing event ever to be shown by the network. While that also led to significant issues throughout the live broadcast due to the network having issues with their servers, which caused significant outages and buffering issues throughout the world for many trying to access the event, the accomplishment of bringing Boxing to such a massive platform is something that cannot be denied even though it should prepare the network for future live programming in wanting to ensure that their subscribers have as seamless an experience streaming live content as possible. Although by all accounts the event also succeeded in terms of a live gate attraction in reportedly drawing 70,000 spectators to AT&T Stadium, something that also deserves credit where it is due, the question that needs to be asked coming out of this event is should Paul-Tyson be a reality check?
A reality check in the sense that even though it clearly drew a lot of interest, it was still a scenario where an aspiring boxer shared the ring with someone who was many years removed from active competition and one who probably should not have been in the ring at fifty-eight years old. Though such events for better or worse do draw interest, for one who insists he wants to be taken seriously as a professional boxer, who says he wants to be a world champion as Paul does, taking part in events like this does not help his argument. As far as the interest this particular event drew, while nothing can be taken away from it in terms of a successful promotion, the reality is, events like this will only succeed so far as it becomes more and more clear that it is not a competitive situation and while the aim of such events is strictly to draw the interest of the casual observer, such interest will only last so long where it will succeed and if Paul as well as others who have come into Boxing from outside realms, who all want to be taken seriously, do not start facing serious boxers, who are working towards fighting for a world championship, the “Curiosity” factor, which seems to be the aim to draw casual observers, will not be there.
For now, this observer will congratulate Paul on another successful promotion. More importantly, yours truly is thankful that Mike Tyson did not get seriously hurt and that those of us who cover the sport are not talking about a tragedy or near tragedy occurring as was the case with Holyfield-Belfort. However, I believe that state athletic commissions need to implement common sense where such bouts are not green-lit and allowed to go on. Not only due to the significant age differences, but more importantly due to the obvious dangers that exist as well as what was, and will likely continue to be a significant difference in competition. At some point, those who regulate and sanction the sport need to step up to ensure the integrity of the sport is a priority.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
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