Boxing legend Teddy Atlas has his doubts over the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson Fight, and believes the ending could be scripted.

HIGHLIGHTS

 Boxing legend Teddy Atlas believes Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson may have already ‘agreed the ending’ to their fight.
 The YouTuber and the heavyweight legend will meet in the ring in July in a fight which has sparked a lot of debate over the safety of the bout.
 Paul will be 30 years younger than Tyson come fight night.

Legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas has voiced his concerns over Jake Paul’s upcoming clash with Mike Tyson. The YouTube star is set to meet the iconic boxer in the ring this summer as he continues his meteoric rise in the world of combat sports.

Atlas, however, has raised one question regarding the upcoming meeting, pondering if the two have agreed upon how the fight will end in what he deemed to be a ‘WWE-style’ ending. Tyson Fury, meanwhile, has himself already spoken out this week about the fight, actually praising Paul’s rise in the boxing world and just how big this fight should be.

Despite the glowing support from the Gypsy King, questions have been raised regarding Paul’s fights, ranging from some wondering if he really could beat the opponents he has beaten so far to punches allegedly not landing.

We are yet to see details of how the fight will be contested or how many rounds it will consist of. However, the one detail we do know is that the two will not be wearing headgear.

Defending Paul in the Past

Despite his comments this time, Atlas has leaped to the defence of the YouTuber in the past, shutting down conspiracy theories surrounding his fights in the ring so far. Atlas cited those theories as baseless when shutting them down. They ran rife following Paul’s knockout victory over UFC legend Anderson Silva in October 2022, as viewers claimed that his punch that dropped the Brazilian did not actually connect.

“Unless this is a WWE agreement, which I don’t know that it is – I never said this before because I think all these fights are legitimate, and they are and have been – but this one makes me wonder. I’m not questioning the integrity of Paul. In fact, I like his integrity. I like what I’ve seen in the guy.”

Elsewhere, the 27-year-old has received criticism for his opponent selection, choosing fighters such as Ryan Bourland, his most recent opponent, who had not competed for some time before their meeting in Puerto Rico earlier this month.

A Matter of Integrity

As he questioned whether an agreed outcome is the case for the fight, Atlas admitted that this is the first time he’s ever felt something could be going on in regard to a Jake Paul fight.

The trainer highlighted his concerns surrounding the fight, describing it as a risk for Paul to take on a name like Tyson, despite his age, with a 30-year gap between the two. One point that Atlas was quick to raise was that he might be making a mistake when it comes to taking on the 57-year-old, as he highlighted Tyson’s speed that he still shows in his combinations at his age and pointed out that power does not disappear with age.

“I’m just saying, if there was a time I would question it, this would be the time. I can’t see, unless Paul is that confident, that Tyson is too old now, and he’s that good, because Paul has been getting more confident, and he does have a good right hand and does punch well with it and Tyson leads with left hooks. Maybe Paul thinks he can hit him with a right hand. I don’t know.

“All I know is that this is the first time I’ve said, ‘I wonder if there’s an agreement,’ because if there’s no agreement, Paul might be making a mistake. I’m surprised Paul is taking this risk. Power doesn’t disappear even when you’re old. He’s still got speed in the combinations. He’s still got that style.”

In a boxing ring, it will be worth noting that Tyson could still be dangerous, and you will imagine Paul’s trainers will have made that clear. There will be no room for complacency for the 27-year-old. A fighter of this calibre will not have lost the competitive edge he once had despite his age.

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Sharing the Ring Again

This may be the first time these two men meet in the ring, but it will not be the first time they have shared the ring. Iron Mike’s last fight came in 2020 on the same card that Paul made his second professional boxing appearance against Nate Robinson, a fight he won by knockout. Tyson took on another boxing legend that night as he met Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout. Following that fight, questions were asked about future bouts somewhere down the line and Iron Mike did not shut down the possibility of a return, and perhaps that exhibition, alongside Paul’s impressive rise, has led us to where we are today.