Last month, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson squared off in Arlington, Texas in what was dubbed “the fight of the decade” in boxing. However, the bout itself fell below expectation; sure, it went the full eight rounds, but Paul defeated Tyson relatively easily in front of more than 70,000 people at the Dallas Cowboys’ home stadium.
Since the fight’s conclusion, many around the boxing community have sounded off on the optics of the bout, which saw 27-year-old former YouTuber Paul toy with the 58-year-old Tyson, a former heavyweight champion who has a legendary stature in the sport but looked ill at ease in the ring during his first professional fight in 19 years.
Tank says Tyson’s legacy is forever stained
Tyson has long been a heroic figure to aspiring champions in boxing — including Gervonta “Tank” Davis, the World Boxing Association lightweight title holder. Davis is one of the most-feared fighters in the sport, his punches landing like knives…and his words can sting, too.
“Who told Mike Tyson to fight anyway?” Davis asked rhetorically in a recent interview. “Yeah, (the fight tarnished Tyson’s legacy). It definitely did. For some money.”
To Davis, the reported $20 million payout for Tyson was small potatoes compared to the intangible sentiment and nostalgia surrounding prime-era Iron Mike, who dominated boxing throughout the 1980s before a rape conviction landed him in prison in 1992. Despite that conviction, even Davis has cited Tyson as a major influence, a ferocious fighter who rang up a 37-0 record between 1985 and 1989.
But to Tyson, the money really was worth it, especially after his May medical emergency led to significant weight loss and required eight blood transfusions. Tyson’s reputation in the present may have taken a small hit, but it does not seem like something the passage of time cannot fix.
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