Mike Tyson is set to make his boxing return on July 20 when he takes on Jake Paul, but the former heavyweight champion has been warned he shouldn’t be fighting at his age
Mike Tyson has been warned to stay away from the boxing ring ahead of his fight against Jake Paul.
Tyson is set to return to boxing on July 20 when he takes on social media star Jake Paul at the massive AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Both Paul and Tyson want their fight to be recognised as a professional bout, but that decision will be made by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.
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There is a huge 30-year age gap between Paul and Tyson, who will be 58 on the night of the fight. Many boxing fans are worried for ‘Iron Mike’ after several of his recent training videos went viral.
Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan is among those who have criticised the fight, saying Tyson shouldn’t be taking hits to the head at his age. “You can be sure money’s got something to do with it,” McGuigan told The Sun (via the Mirror.)
“The governing body should be seriously badly reprimanded for that, getting a 57-year-old guy in to box. That’s just really stupid and irresponsible. He shouldn’t be near a boxing ring at 57 years old. It’s just very irresponsible. It’s very dangerous.
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“The problem with so many of these influencers boxing is that the general public think anybody can do it. They can’t. That’s what annoys the professional fighters about these influencers.”
Shane McGuigan, son of Barry and coach to Adam Azim and Daniel Dubois, also criticised Paul for fighting Tyson well past his prime. He said: “They’re trying to steal headlines in the sense, ‘OK, let’s bring in Mike Tyson’ because he’s done it all. It just discredits what he’s done in his career.
“He’s the face of boxing. Jake Paul’s not going to put on his YouTube channel when he spars bad or when he feels c**p and he’s upset and he’s crying or he’s frustrated.
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“He’s only putting on the good days. Kids just wanna see glitz and glamour and gossip. This sport’s a real hard sport and you can’t fake it, you can’t just suddenly get to a world title. You can’t just turn up one day without any training. You’ve got to put the hours and work in and it’s brutal.”
