Although heavyweight rivals Joshua and Fury believe Paul and Tyson’s megafight this summer will benefit boxing, boxing purists have criticized the bout.
Both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua think that Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul will only fight good for boxing.
In one of the biggest and most contentious fights of the year, “Iron Mike” will return to the ring on July 20 at the Dallas Cowboys stadium against YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul. The fight is scheduled to take place as an exhibition, but Tyson has denied rumors that he and Paul will be donning headgear and eighteen-ounce gloves.
Since switching to boxing full-time, Paul has faced harsh criticism for taking on former MMA fighters as well as sportsmen from other sports. As Joshua stated on The Jonathan Ross Show, “I personally think it’s really good,” he believes that influencers like Paul entering the ring can only help boxing gain more attention.
Boxing purists, in my opinion, take offense at it because they wonder “why these people are demeaning our sport?” However, I believe that person is the reason why so many people get involved in boxing, which is good for everyone. Everybody who watches is helpful. Mike Tyson is now older. I hope he emerges unscathed. Jake Paul’s youth is the only reason, in my opinion.”
Paul suffered his sole loss to date at the hands of his brother Tommy in their fight last year, thus Fury is well-known in the influencer boxing community. The heavyweight champion recently spoke with The Stomping Ground and repeated what Joshua said on Paul vs. Tyson. “It would be amazing for the boys to receive payment and perform together. I’m at a loss for anything not to enjoy,” he remarked.
“Oh, okay, [Tyson] is 57 years old, but he’s a former undisputed world heavyweight king, and Paul plays computers for a living and he’s come to boxing about a year ago. So, pretty even match. “I think it’s fantastic for boxing. You’ve got a legend in Mike Tyson. You’ve got a YouTube boxer, he has come into the game and blew it up and he’s got millions of followers and millions of views and millions of eyes.
“Good, bad or indifferent. Some people love him, some people hate him. I think it’s a really good spectacle for boxing. Brings a lot of people to the game. Listen, who am I to say, ‘Oh, Mike Tyson shouldn’t be boxing or Jake Paul shouldn’t be boxing, good luck to ’em. They’re both gonna make what I call a s*** ton of money out of it. So, isn’t that what it’s about? A great stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.”
