Former WBC super middleweight champion Sakio Bika has urged Jake Paul to fight him instead of Mike Tyson as doubts continue over whether the fight should go ahead.
The pair are set for a money-spinning fight at AT&T Stadium in Texas on July 20, with Tyson stepping back into the ring for the first time since December 2020 after coming out of retirement.
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At the age of 58, concerns have been raised as to whether former heavyweight champion Tyson will be fit to fight Paul, who is 31 years his junior. Tyson has posted several training videos in an attempt to quash those fears, although images of him walking with a stick recently circulated around social media.
And Bika, 44, has made the offer to the YouTuber to fight him following doubts if Tyson, who will undergo tests before the fight, does not receive clearance.
“At the moment, I am staying in shape and ready if the right offer comes my way,” Bika told World Boxing News exclusively.
“I have reached the top of the sport, becoming a multiple-time world champion and winning the prestigious Contender series. I have nothing more to prove to anyone, but I would like to have one more big fight.
“If someone like Jake Paul or his brother would really like to test himself against a recent world champion, I am always ready to fight.
Respect for Mike Tyson
Bika revealed that he idolized Tyson as a youngster and while he thinks Paul should be fighting someone his own age, he respected Tyson‘s efforts to get himself in shape.
“Mike Tyson is an all-time great boxer; he was a hero of mine growing up, and even though he looks in great shape, he is almost 60 years of age!” he added.
“If Jake Paul is serious about fighting a former champion, look for someone a lot younger or active within the last decade. I can fight Jake Paul at any weight he wants.”
Asked what he makes of the current YouTuber situation in boxing, Bika replied: “It is both good and bad. It is bringing a lot more attention to the sport, but with most of the YouTubers either fighting each other or trying to entice long-retired greats out of retirement, it turns it into a joke.”
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