UFC icon Conor McGregor has made his feelings clear on the upcoming boxing fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
Tyson vs Paul takes place in Arlington, Texas, on July 20, and will be shown live exclusively on Netflix as part of the streaming giant’s first-ever full boxing card.
The bout will be classed as an exhibition, but Tyson has claimed that the remainder of the rules involved will effectively make it a professional fight.
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‘Iron Mike’, who is now 58, hasn’t fought since his exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr in November 2020, meaning Paul – who has boxed eight times professionally since then – has the advantage in terms of recent in-ring experience.
Of course, though, Tyson is one of the most fearsome boxers that has ever lived, and training footage shows that the hand speed and power are certainly still there.
In an interview with James Corden for SiriusXM, McGregor was asked to give his thoughts on the fight – and made it clear where he stood about it taking place at all.
He began: “For me, it does set a bad precedent in the industry.
“Because what you’ve got now is – and I would say this to the young athletes coming up, men and women. Don’t aspire to be one of these YouTube fighters.
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“Aspire for world titles. Aspire for [the Olympics]. That is how you etch your name in history.
“Doing these little smash-and-grab fights, you might get a few likes, but there’s nothing substantial to it. It’s hollow. It can be profitable, but it’s hollow.
“And I’m noticing a trend in young fighters coming up that are not even interested in competing in the amateur scene or rising up to win a national title. You need the gold on the waist. You need to etch your name on the belt.”
Paul has, however, previously admitted that he aims to be a world champion over the next few years.
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He told his girlfriend Jutta Leerdam – a Dutch speed skater that is set to be one of the favourites to win a medal in her disciplines at the 2026 Winter Olympics – on the ‘BS with Jake Paul’ podcast: “I was thinking about it the other day.
“At the time you go to the Winter Olympics in two years, that is when I am going to be fighting for a world championship.
“We both could potentially be world champions. Number one in the world together – and I think that might just be the first couple to do that.”
