Boxing fans and pundits around the world are up in arms over the shocking announcement that 27-year-old YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul will fight legendary former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on July 20th in Arlington, Texas. The matchup between the social media star and the 57-year-old Tyson, one of the most iconic and feared boxers of all time, has been blasted as a “shameful” publicity stunt by critics.
The bout, slated to take place at the massive AT&T Stadium and streamed live globally on Netflix, will potentially be one of the most widely viewed boxing matches ever. However, the 30-year age gap between the fighters and Tyson’s advanced age have sparked outrage, with many denouncing the spectacle as an unethical and disrespectful exploitation of the aging champion’s legacy.
“You’re fighting someone who was born in 1966,” former UFC fighter Dillon Danis tweeted at Paul. “Have some shame.” UFC legend Michael Bisping echoed the criticism, writing “You should be ashamed of yourself. And the biggest joke is you don’t even slightly realize why.”
Jake Paul, who has amassed a 9-1 professional boxing record against relatively unknown or non-boxer opponents, has embraced the role of villainous provocateur. He vowed to “put Iron Mike to sleep” in a taunting social media post announcing the fight against Tyson, whom he called “the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time.”
Tyson, who became the youngest heavyweight champion ever at age 20 in 1986, reigned as the most dominant force in the heavyweight division through 1990. His intimidating persona, ferocious punching power, and memorable rope-a-dope matchups against Evander Holyfield cemented his legacy as one of the greatest heavyweights ever. He retains a mythic aura decades after his prime.
Now clearly past his athletic prime at age 57, Tyson has not had an official professional boxing match since retiring in 2005 with a storied 50-6 record and 44 knockouts. He did participate in a well-received exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 that was unofficially ruled a draw.
While Iron Mike still flaunts an impressive muscular physique and regularly posts workout videos displaying remarkable punching power for his age, the inherent risks of him facing a much younger opponent in Paul have sparked widespread condemnation.
“Tyson posts workout videos on social media in which he looks sharp in training, but going toe-to-toe against a much younger opponent carries enormous risk,” reported respected sports writer Andrew Reid. Images of Tyson using a walking cane as recently as 2022 have only amplified concerns over his ability to safely compete against the prime 27-year-old Paul.
For his part, Tyson seemed unfazed by the uproar in a nonchalant statement: “I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul…He’s grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT.”
In addition to ethical debates, the matchup between the faded legend and the upstart celebrity boxer has also sparked intense scrutiny over the criteria being used by the Texas boxing commission to potentially sanction it as a legitimate professional contest as opposed to a pure exhibition.
Jake Paul’s checkered professional boxing career has featured a mixed bag of accomplishments and failures to live up to his own bravado. The former Disney actor and YouTube prankster stunned many by scoring a string of knockout wins against non-boxers and undercards en route to a 5-0 start. However, his meteoric rise was punctured by an emphatic loss to Tommy Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Whether Texas regulators deem the Tyson vs. Paul event a legitimate pro bout with Paul’s boxing record on the line, or merely an exhibition cash grab, remains to be seen. But in the theatrically charged world of boxing’s carnival barker antics, the controversial spectacle is already achieving its desired goals of generating immense public outcry and scrutiny – and massive future pay-per-view revenues.
