Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, 58, is set to fight YouTube star Jake Paul, 27, on Friday, November 15, in Arlington, Texas, with live streaming and coverage on Netflix beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The contest is both highly anticipated and highly criticized. Tyson, one of the greatest boxers in history, is well into his gray-bearded years, and Paul is a relative novice, whose 10-1 record has largely come against other novices.
The question is whether Tyson’s age, or Paul’s inexperience, will be a greater handicap. Jake’s brother, Logan, fought an exhibition bout in 2021 against boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, one of the greatest fighters ever to have lived. Mayweather gave up a huge height and weight disadvantage, but was judged to have handled Logan Paul easily — though Paul earned praise for going the distance with the retired champion, a feat in terms of sheer physical stamina.
Tyson’s training regimen, which he posted on social media, looked impressive, with the man known for lightning footwork and devastating uppercuts in his younger days showing flashes of the same speed. Jake Paul also posted videos of an arduous training regimen worthy of a Rocky movie.
However, there are concerns for Tyson’s health. The fight was postponed from July to November Tyson suffered a medical emergency on a flight; he was later found to have had a stomach ulcer. The illness caused him to lose weight and slow down, though he was said to have returned to fighting form a few months later.
Both fighters can be expected to put on a show, though they will likely stop short of delivering knockout blows if either one appears genuinely fatigued or disoriented. Both are also supporters of President-elect Donald Trump.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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