Tyson Fury has defended Jake Paul’s ‘entertaining’ fight with Mike Tyson despite recent health concerns.

Paul and heavyweight legend Tyson announced that they will meet in a mega showdown on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.

Paul and Tyson will clash in the summer in a shock encounter


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Paul and Tyson will clash in the summer in a shock encounterCredit: Netflix
There has been criticism of the event in the boxing world, given there will be a 31-year age gap between the pair when they touch gloves.

Health concerns have been raised for Tyson, who will be 58 at the time of competing, with news that the fight could be sanctioned under professional rules.

But the event could provide record-breaking revenue for the pair, given the commercial value of their names, in addition to news the event will be streamed on Netflix.

And WBC champion Fury, who will face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed titles on May 18, believes that both men are more than entitled to do battle.

“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 [Jake Paul].

“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. So, 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 gonna make what I call a s*** tonne of money out of it.

Fans suggest Mike Tyson could be ‘in trouble’ as new training footage emerges ahead of fight against Jake Paul on 20th July
“It’d be fantastic for the guys both getting paid, I just don’t know what’s not to like.”

The ‘Gypsy King’ went on to suggest that on paper it is actually a well-matched clash, given Paul’s inexperience in world level boxing.

He continued: “Oh, okay, [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.

“From being a kid on the Disney Channel to fighting Mike Tyson. Who wouldn’t want to do that? People say, ‘Oh, it’s s***’, this, that and the other. But, I bet they still watch it. Who’s not intrigued?”

Tyson has been showing he still possesses his natural power on the pads, in montages of training footage posted on his social media.

But many are concerned that his pad work is being used to justify the clash, with Tyson previously seen using a walking stick.

Both ‘Iron’ and Fury are considered two of the greatest heavyweights in their respective eras, and have always shown huge respect for one another.