Mike Tyson makes his highly-anticipated return to the ring on Friday night in Texas, where he will face Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
Had this bout been sanctioned two decades ago, ignoring for a moment that the 27-year-old Paul would still have been an infant, there would be little doubt about the victor.
However, Tyson, the youngest heavyweight champion in history, is quickly approaching his sixth decade, while Paul has spent the last five years working with some of the finest trainers in the sport on his quest to be taken seriously as a boxer.
This strange set of circumstances makes the contest a lot harder to call and has divided opinion among the star names in combat sports.
The blockbuster Netflix event at the AT&T Stadium in Texas is expected to be one of the most watched fights this century, perhaps in part because of its absurdity, or the appeal of seeing Iron Mike lace up his gloves and throw down in a professional bout for the first time since 2005.
Ahead of the duel, the likes of Lennox Lewis, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have gone on record with their predictions for the contest.
The eyes of the world are focused on Arlington, Texas, where Mike Tyson will make a return to the ring
The former heavyweight champion will take on Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paui on Friday night
ROY JONES JR
‘Mike Tyson can beat anybody he wants to when he feels like it, but he can do that whenever he feels like it because he can do it.’ He told Betway. ‘Jake Paul on the other hand needs to make some adjustments and learn to do things he hasn’t done before.
‘I think Mike will teach him a lesson and teach him as he goes and teach him about boxing for what he knows because Mike knows all the ins and outs of boxing. I think with that being said, Mike could win the fight early and will do that. If Jake can hang around long enough to tire Mike out, because he’s a 58-year-old man so that’s possible, and if he can tire him out then he has a great chance.’
Tyson returned to the ring in 2020 for an exhibition bout against former multiple time world champion Roy Jones Jr
PADDY PIMBLETT
‘I’ve chatted a lot of sh*t about Jake Paul because he never used to be able to throw a punch, but now that he’s actually trained for a few years, he can throw a punch.’ He told OLBG. ‘His boxing doesn’t actually look that bad. But a few years ago when he started and people were saying to me “you fight Jake Paul”, I was like, “lad, he’s f***ing sh*te”. But now he’s trained for that long and put that much work in, you’ve got to give him his due.
‘He doesn’t look that bad. Like he outboxed Mike Perry even though he had like 40 lbs on him. But it’s Tyson, whether he’s 58 or not, it’s Mike Tyson. I don’t even know [what happens] that’s just like a freak show fight, I wouldn’t even put a prediction on that. I hope Mike Tyson knocks him out. As we’ve just said, he’s 58 years of age, and he hasn’t fought in about 15 years as well.
‘He was still an absolute unit when I met him anyway, and he wasn’t in shape then. He’s still an absolute brick sh*thouse. He’s just built like that. Now he’s in shape – but he shouldn’t be fighting at 58, it’s just ridiculous. It’s just stupid. He definitely doesn’t need to either. He’s got the money to not fight, so I just don’t understand why they’re doing it.’
UFC star Paddy Pimblett has praised Jake Paul for his progression in the sport but still hopes the 27-year-old is knocked out by Tyson
LENNOX LEWIS
‘Mike Tyson’s gonna win.’ he told FOX 29 in Philadelphia. ‘He’s not that old. Don’t take him too softly. We’re one year apart. ‘You can fight somebody like that and do well, because the person you’re fighting is not a true fighter and there’s a hundred things that you’ve forgotten that he’s learning.’
Lennox Lewis won a brutal fight against Tyson in in Tennessee in 2002 after an eighth round knockout
TYSON FURY
‘If Mike Tyson hits anybody, I don’t care if he’s 90, he’s going to knock them out cold isn’t he?’ he told the MMA Hour. ‘He’s Iron Mike Tyson, the baddest man on the planet.
‘Jake Paul is very experienced now and he’s had a lot of fights but obviously, I have to back Mike Tyson for the knockout as he always backs me.’
Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was named after the legendary American boxer
AMIR KHAN
‘You know what, the thing is there is a lot of weight advantage and to be honest with you, Mike is a friend of mine and I FaceTime him and we speak, but when you’ve got a 65-year-old man fighting a young, at-his-peak fighter you do feel sorry — but you can’t feel too sorry for Mike Tyson because he’s taken that chance.’ He told Prime Casino.
‘It’s a tough one that is but I wouldn’t want to jump in the ring. At the end of the day it’s Mike’s decision to go in the ring and fight. If he gets beat you want to protect your friend and jump in and say I’ll give a beating for him, so if he beats Mike Tyson yeah definitely I’d like to give him a little slap and sort him out.’
Amir Khan is worried about the veteran Tyson locking horns with Paul, who is 31 years his junior
ANTHOY JOSHUA
‘He [Mike Tyson] is older now,’ he said on the Jonathan Ross Show. ‘I pray that he comes out healthy. I think Jake Paul [wins] because of youth – that’s the only thing.’
Anthony Joshua is also of the belief that age will play a key part in the outcome of the clash
Paul has a professional boxing record of 10-1, with his only defeat coming against Tommy Fury in February 2023
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman is hoping the bout will a spectacle, believing the pair have the chance to become role models to children
MAURICIO SULAIMAN, WBC PRESIDENT
‘I don’t know. Mike is a legend and an unbelievable legend that has so many great things and is outstanding.’ He told OLBG. ‘He had a very ugly ending to his career in boxing, but he was out of shape and in a completely problematic stage of his life.
‘When the world needed entertainment in the pandemic, he stood up and fought Roy Jones Jr. He looked sensational and he did precisely what we all expected – to be an exhibition.
‘He didn’t try to hurt Roy; it was just a nice display of abilities. This time with Jake Paul is different. He is a young, strong upcoming fighter with great social media followers and if it is an exhibition then we have to support it, it is good for boxing. So, let’s support it and make it a great event for kids to look up to Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.’
JORGE MASVIDAL
‘No matter how much of an athlete, how mean he was in his prime, this is way past his prime,’ he told talkSPORT. ‘So I just don’t know how much of Tyson is left. Could Jake beat him? Yeah. But is that Mike Tyson? No.
UFC star Jorge Masvidal is skeptical of Tyson’s prospects in the fight being a number of years past his prime
Former heavyweight boxer Shannon Briggs insists that Paul is a ‘tough kid’, owing to his time training his brash compatriot
SHANNON BRIGGS
‘I want to see a great fight, but at the same time, I don’t want Jake to get hurt.’ He said via Brownsville Boxing Gym and Academy. ‘But I used to train Jake, and I’m telling you, he’s a tough kid.
‘For me to see him step in the ring with Mike Tyson is absolutely amazing. I was just training a kid, and for him to even be doing this, respect to him. Everyone wants Mike to win but I just want Mike and Jake to make a lot of money, hit the after-party together, and have a good time.
‘At the end of the day, it’s about feeding their families. It’s a phenomenal event, because we’re in a time now where this is going to be on Netflix.
‘Damn, the whole world is going to see it — everywhere! If you’ve got a phone and a wi-fi signal, whether you’re in Japan, Switzerland, Africa, or even Antarctica you can watch the fight!’
