Eddie Hearn slams Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson “freak show”

Matt Hobkinson

YOUTUBE: THE STOMPING GROUND/NETFLIX

Eddie Hearn has labeled Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson as a “freak show”, admitting that he will wait and see who is on the undercard before deciding whether to watch the fight or not.

Tyson, 57, will take on Paul, 27, on July, 20. The fight will be streamed live on Netflix, taking place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL‘s Dallas Cowboys.

Tyson Fury has claimed that the bout is “fantastic for boxing“, as the Gypsy King shared his support for the fight.

Yet Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Hearn, has now given a scathing assessment of the upcoming fight as he refused to hold back in his critique of the contest.

Eddie Hearn: Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson a “freak show”

“It’s difficult, you know my opinion, I’ve given interviews on it before,” Hearn told the Stomping Ground’s YouTube channel.

“But if you say anything negative, you’re a hater. I get the event. I know what people want to see. They want to see freak shows. And that’s what it is, it’s a freak show.

Topic starts at 15:40.

“It’ll do really well. People will tune in. But it’s not for everyone. If you grew up watching Mike Tyson and he’s one of your greatest fighters of all-time, the last thing you want to do is see him get back in the ring at 58-years-old [when the fight takes place on July, 20] and lose to Jake Paul.

“The general consensus from the casual audience is ‘Oh that’s a bit of a freak show, I’ll watch that’. Who knows what’s going to be on the card, maybe it’s a great night of boxing, we’ll see.”

Asked whether he will watch the fight, Hearn replied: “We’ll see. We’ll see what’s on the undercard. I don’t know.”

Sean Strickland slams “pathetic” Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson game plan

Matt Hobkinson
  ❘   Published: Mar 22, 2024, 23:08

Sean Strickland has labeled Jake Paul’s fight with Mike Tyson as “pathetic” as the former UFC middleweight champion criticized the pair for coming up with a “game plan” to drum up interest in the fight.

Tyson and Paul will go head-to-head on July, 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL‘s Dallas Cowboys.

The fight will be streamed live on Netflix, with the likes of Tyson Fury praising the bout as being “fantastic for boxing“.

Yet Strickland, 33, has disagreed with the Gypsy King, insisting that the 30-year age gap between the pair rules out any chance of a fair fight.

Sean Strickland hits out at Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson

Taking to social media, Strickland wrote: “Jake Paul and Mike Tyson game planning to hide the fact this is pathetic.

“So we have to make people believe you [Tyson] have a chance, we have to make people believe that you’re not 60 [sic, 57] and this is isn’t the most pathetic thing I’ve ever done”.”

When put to him that Tyson has a “puncher’s chance”, Strickland was categorical in his reply.

“Naaa man,” he said. “He’s [Tyson’s] 60. You ever train with a 60-year-old?! Lmao I haven’t.”

Strickland is not the only one who has been critical of the match-up between Paul and Tyson. Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, called the fight a “freak show” as he revealed that he may not even watch the bout.

Rumors that the fight would see Paul and Tyson were headguards threatened to derail interest in the fight, something that Paul admitted his frustration as to how the “absurd” news was spread in the first place.

Jake Paul warned he’ll be “in a really bad way” vs Mike Tyson – one one condition

Sean McCormick
  ❘   Published: Mar 22, 2024, 19:31

Jake Paul could end up in a “really bad way” in his fight with Mike Tyson if he doesn’t show the boxing great the “respect he deserves”.

That is the frank verdict of former world cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, who believes it is “frightening” to see Tyson enter the ring with a fighter 30 years his junior.

Paul, 27, and Tyson, 57, will face off at the AT&T Stadium in Texas on July 20, in what will be Netflix’s first foray into live boxing broadcasting.

Tyson, a former world heavyweight champion, has not fought professionally since a defeat to Kevin McBride in 2005 and last fought in an exhibition against Roy Jones Jr in 2020.

Paul, meanwhile, has a 9-1 record in the ring and continues to navigate the crossover from YouTube star to fighter.

Bellew hopes Paul vs Tyson is a “circus”

The “Problem Child” will enter as a favorite against “Iron Mike” and Bellew is hopeful Tyson doesn’t end up hurt but concedes he would have probably took the fight, too, for the right price.

“I am worried about it personally but you don’t know what’s been agreed between the two,” Bellew told Spin Bet.

“It’s frightening that Mike Tyson is going back into a boxing ring against somebody who is more than 30 years younger than him. It’s just a bit nuts.

“I’m hoping that the fight is a bit of a circus and a bit scripted because I wouldn’t want to see Mike get hurt in any way shape or form. Let’s see what happens.

“He is going to be getting paid an awful lot of money and nobody has the right to stop him from doing that.

“It is sad. I don’t want to see Mike Tyson get hurt, he is one of my idols and heroes, I love Mike Tyson and I don’t want to see him get hurt, but I understand it because everyone needs to get paid.

“Everybody has a price and all of these people saying on social media why is he doing that, they also have a price and everyone in the world does and if the price is right then get on with it.

“If somebody offers me the right price, then I’m sorry to say that I am fighting again. I hope Jake Paul gives him the respect he deserves, and I think he will, because if Mike kicks off then Jake Paul is in a really bad way. He’d pull his head off his neck.”

Jake Paul debunks “absurd” Mike Tyson boxing rules rumors

Virginia Glaze
  ❘   Published: Mar 22, 2024, 04:11

Jake Paul has shut down rumors about the rules for his upcoming boxing match with Mike Tyson this summer, calling the farcical guidelines totally “absurd.”

Jake Paul is gearing up to face off against boxing legend Mike Tyson this summer in a special live event streamed exclusively on Netflix.

News of the match exploded on social media earlier this month, sparking a debate about who will end up winning and why Jake continues to challenge older fighters, but other rumors also cropped up about the supposed rules of their upcoming bout.

A TikTok uploaded by creator ‘More Pickem Petey’ claimed Paul would be required to wear headgear like an “amateur boxer,” while Mike Tyson wouldn’t wear any.

That’s not all; Petey made another wild claim that Jake would be able to “tag in” his older brother, Logan Paul, if he was gassing out — something Jake dismissed as “absurd.”

“It’s so sad that millions of people believe that,” he said in a March 21 podcast episode. “It’s f**king absurd. First of all, obviously, none of that’s true… They’re so f**king stupid. Anyone who believes that sh*t should not be allowed to vote.”

“It’s sad. We live in a f**ked up world. Humans are getting more and more stupid every single day. It’s crazy, bro.”

(Topic begins at 20:50)

Paul’s business partner, Nakisa Bidarian, similarly debunked any rumors that headgear would be used in the bout.

“Unequivocally there is no headgear for Paul vs Tyson,” he reportedly posted on Instagram. “Haters spreading fake news but it won’t stop the 10’s of millions of views.”

However, other rumors claiming that the two will use heavier boxing gloves have yet to be confirmed or denied, and whether or not the bout will be officially sanctioned is also still up in the air at the time of writing.

Dana White explains why Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson isn’t a “serious” fight

Michael Gwilliam
  ❘   Published: Mar 22, 2024, 00:25

UFC President Dana White doesn’t think Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson is a very “serious” fight for one big reason.

During an appearance on Pound 4 Pound with Kamura Usman, White chimed in about Paul’s next bout against Mike Tyson scheduled for July 20 in Netflix’s first-ever live boxing event.

According to Dana, Jake Paul’s reason for fighting ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson all comes down to the money, since Tyson is serving as a draw to get eyeballs on the boxing match.

“I love Mike, and I hate talking about him because he always get mad at me when I talk about this stuff, but when the fight happens he’ll be 58-years-old. There will be a 31 year age difference,” White explained.

The UFC President further noted that when Paul did fight someone his age, he ended up being handed the only loss of his career via split decision to Tommy Fury.

(Segment begins at 41:50)

“If he beats Mike Tyson, he’s gonna fight Clint Eastwood next,” White joked. “Clint Eastwood’s 93-years-old.”

Usman went on to try to argue that fighters “always have a round left,” but noted that Jake Paul isn’t doing his best to be taken seriously as a fighter. White was quick to interrupt, claiming that ‘The Problem Child’ doesn’t have a desire to do so.

“He doesn’t [want to be taken seriously]. What Jake wants is Jake wants to make money. The people that follow Jake Paul don’t buy Jake Paul’s fights so Jake Paul has to fight people who can actually sell pay-per-views,” he added.

Jake Paul and Dana White are no strangers to each other, with the influencer frequently feuding with UFC boss over his demands for increased fighter pay. So far, Paul has yet to respond to Dana’s criticisms, but it’s unlikely that the influencer will remain silent on his concerns.