Contrary to most, Tyson Fury likes the matchup between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
Boxing legend Tyson (50-6) will be 58 when he faces 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-pro boxer Paul (9-1) on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event will stream live on Netflix.
WBC heavyweight champion Fury thinks a fight like this will only help bring more eyes to the sport.
“I think it’s fantastic for boxing,” Fury said on The Stomping Ground. “You’ve got a legend in Mike Tyson, you’ve got a YouTube boxer who’s 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 them. They’re both going to make what I call a sh*t-ton of money out of it.”
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The age difference has caused outrage from many notable names in combat sports. Tyson hasn’t competed since battling Roy Jones Jr. to a draw in their exhibition boxing match in November 2020 – his first fight in 15 years. Despite Paul being the younger and far more active fighter, Fury says we can’t forget Tyson’s accolades.
“It’d be fantastic for the guys, both getting paid, both going to put on a show – I just don’t know what’s not to like,” Fury said. “Oh, OK, (Tyson’s) 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. … People say, ‘Oh, it’s sh*t,’ this, that and the other. But I’ll bet they still watch it. Who’s not intrigued?”
