Mike Tyson shared a playful moment with Jake Paul during their recent faceoff, laughing and throwing light punches at the YouTuber’s stomach while even tickling him. This light-hearted interaction marked a stark contrast to Tyson‘s fierce image from his boxing prime.
The 58-year-old former champion, who will don 14-ounce gloves for added padding, is set to fight Paul in an eight-round match with each round lasting two minutes to help reduce fatigue.
Jake Paul shows off new heavyweight body for Mike Tyson fight after adding 30 pounds
The match is scheduled for July 20 and will be streamed on Netflix from AT&T Stadium near Dallas. The event will also feature a co-main event between undisputed junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
The timing of the news conference for the Tyson-Paul fight coincided with the lead-up to a major heavyweight title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, set to take place in Saudi Arabia.
Malignaggi expressed concerns
Analyst Paulie Malignaggi noted that this scheduling clash was a missed opportunity to highlight “a tinge of the old Tyson” and expressed his concerns about Tyson.
“He’s having a hard time taking Jake seriously,” Malignaggi said.
“[Tyson‘s] been in there with [Evander] Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Michael Spinks, Larry Holmes … he’s probably thinking, ‘I need to intimidate this guy? Whatever.
“I don’t believe Mike can win a real fight. Fifty-eight is 58. Even though Jake is not on a level Mike was in his prime, he’s still in his mid-20s and has been boxing long enough.
“Imagine boxing having this genuine bad blood, guys slapping each other.
“It’s extreme, but people want that soap-opera stuff we’re getting in Saudi Arabia.
“People don’t want to watch two guys tickling each other.”
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