Despite turning 58-years-old this summer, there is still a lot of belief that Mike Tyson can deliver in the ring.
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The legendary heavyweight champion hasn’t competed professionally since 2005, and last took on an exhibition bout in 2020. But he is making his return to the boxing ring on November 15 against Jake Paul, with many critical of the fight.
However, one fellow legend believes that there is a chance that he can land a vicious knockout, particularly early in the fight. The bout is a fully sanctioned professional outing, but the pair have agreed to altered rules including larger gloves and shorter rounds.
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Ricky Hatton backs Mike Tyson to ‘knock Jake Paul into next week’
There are concerns going into next Friday’s event that Tyson may not be physically ready for the bout. He looks in tremendous condition, but just this May he was forced to postpone their initial date due to an ulcer flare-up that had him fearing for his life.
But if he is in decent shape, Hatton reckons that his power could be too much for Paul; a career cruiserweight who generally fights opponents moving up in weight. “I think if Mike hits him, he’ll knock him into the middle of next week,” the former world champion told Actio
“He looks very fast and very explosive. He looks fantastic for his age. But if you’re in Jake Paul’s corner you would think, ‘he is 58 years old and I’m just going to give him the first two rounds, jab and move, keep out of his range and hopefully he will gas’. You’d expect him to at his age.
“Mike will probably put all of his eggs in one basket and start early because of his age and if I was Jake, I would stay out of his jab, wait for him to slow down a bit and put my foot down on the gas. I can see Mike by knockout if he is to win or if Jake is going to win then he will win on points.”
Ricky Hatton believes Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul shouldn’t be happening
Hatton made his own ring return in 2022 at the age of 45, and is a big fan of former fighters holding exhibition and crossover bouts. But the issue that arises with this instance is that it is professionally sanctioned, despite a 31-year age gap between 58-year-old Tyson and 27-year-old Paul.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has been actively boxing for the past four years as a professional, amassing a 10-1 record. Meanwhile, Tyson has had just two exhibitions in the nearly two decades since his last outing.
“Mike Tyson is one of my heroes and is one who is everyone’s hero and I have no doubt that he is one of Jake Paul’s heroes,” Hatton added. “So why you would want to fight one of your heroes who is nearly 60 years of age? And potentially hurting one of your heroes is madness
“Mike looks great on the pads, really explosive and I hope I’m like him at 60 but that’s only 10 seconds bursts. Can he maintain it for a number of rounds? I’m all for the exhibitions.
“MMA fighters can fight, YouTubers can fight someone else and I get that world exists but I think something should be put in place to stop something like this happening. Mike is our hero and is 58 years old.
“He has every chance of flattening Jake Paul but at 58, is he in condition to come back from what’s going to come at him by Jake Paul? I can’t say I’m a fan of this.”
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