With anticipation at an all-time high, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are merely days away from stepping into the ring and touching gloves at AT&T Stadium. The bout on Nov. 15 marks Tyson‘s return to boxing for his first professional fight in 19 years, while Paul is taking on one of the world’s most famous combat athletes in the biggest bout of his 11-fight career.
Paul and Tyson have traded barbs in the media for months, and the fight’s postponement to November — due to Tyson’s medical emergency in May — has only added to the intrigue surrounding it. In addition, the 31-year age gap between the two combatants has been a major storyline, with experts on both sides of the aisle believing it could decide the bout.
Will Tyson “murder” Paul?
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley fought Paul (and lost via split decision) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland back in 2021. Woodley thinks that the “Problem Child” is now in danger as he takes on a boxer of a much-higher caliber.
Woodley believes the Paul-Tyson bout will be very even, but Paul could awaken something in Tyson that could lead to something unexpected in Arlington, Texas.
“In Tyson’s prime, most of his fights were almost attempted murder,” Woodley said. “So literally, Jake wouldn’t have stood a chance. Nobody would even commission to sanction a fight against him and Mike Tyson.”
Tyson’s training videos and preparation regimen for the fight have gone viral; the consensus seems to be that Iron Mike looks sharp despite his age and his ulcer flare-up back in May. Tyson’s punching power has been regarded as a key to the fight against the younger and quicker Paul. And at any rate, even if Paul loses to Tyson, he wins, according to Woodley.
“He’s always in a position where, if he wins, he goes up. If he loses, it’s like OK, he took a risk, he took a chance,” Woodley said. “I like the fight. I’ll be at the fight.”
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