Legendary heavyweight boxer, Mike Tyson, is slated to make his highly anticipated return to the ring later this year.
The July 20 bout against YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul, inside AT&T Stadium in suburban Dallas, will mark Tyson’s first fight in almost four years. As the fight draws closer, fans and analysts are sharing their predictions on the bout’s outcome.
Former world champion and current boxing analyst Timothy Bradley is confident that Tyson will ultimately prevail. Bradley pointed to Tyson’s considerable power and years of experience when she shared his knockout prediction. He also suggested that the format of the fight will work to the heavyweight champion’s advantage.
(Left) Former Boxer Mike Tyson looks on prior to the Cruiserweight Title fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury at the Diriyah Arena on February 26, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Right) Jake Paul takes the ring for his cruiserweight bout against Anderson Silva of Brazil at Desert Diamond Arena on October 29, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images and Francois Nel/Getty Images)
“Mike Tyson, knock his a– out, baby! It can happen. Two minutes is going to favor Mike Tyson… banging him to the body, hitting him with power shots,” Bradley said. “He has the potential to knock this man out. The power is the last thing to leave you. Two minutes, that’s all it takes to knock Disney boy the hell out.”
Each of the eight rounds in the upcoming bout will last for two minutes.
BOXING LEGEND WARNS JAKE PAUL ABOUT MIKE TYSON’S PUNCHING ABILITIES
While Bradley believes Tyson will knock out Paul, Paulie Malignaggi expressed concerns about the age gap between the two fighters. Malignaggi cautioned that he “want to see the guy get hurt.” He also believes Paul is often underestimated, saying the YouTuber-turned-boxer is “more dangerous than everybody’s giving him credit for.”
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images; Alex Menendez/Getty Images)
Tyson, who was once known as “the Baddest Man on the Planet,” will turn 58 a few weeks before the fight. Paul, meanwhile, turned 27 earlier this year. Paul has a 9-1 boxing record.
Jake Paul speaks during a news conference Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Tyson has not fought competitively since he suffered a TKO loss to Kevin McBride in 2005. He did compete in an exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr. in July 2020.
Tyson became the youngest boxer in history to win a heavyweight title. He released a statement in March saying he was excited about “stepping into the ring” to face Paul.
“I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” Tyson said. “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. It’s a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch; as I started him off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones, and now I plan to finish him.”
Netflix will stream the fight on July 20.
