Highlights
- Butterbean has labelled Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson a "scam" to boost the former's name and has claimed it will never truly happen.
- The original date for the fight fell through after concerns over Iron Mike's health, and the bout is now pencilled in for the 15th of November.
- However, Butterbean doesn't expect that date to go ahead either.
Legendary knockout artist, Eric 'Butterbean' Esch, has labelled Jake Paul's upcoming fight with Mike Tyson a "scam."
The fight between the social media star and the former heavyweight world champion has been hotly anticipated since it was announced back in March and was originally due to take place on the 20th of July as the first live boxing event to be aired on Netflix. But the fight was postponed back in May after Tyson experienced a medical emergency while on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles.
The new date was set for the 15th of November, although there are still questions as to whether the fight will go ahead due to underlying concerns about Tyson's health. He has been open about his struggles with sciatica and has been pictured multiple times over recent years either in a wheelchair or using a walking-stick.
Butterbean Criticises Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson
Butterbean was far more critical of the pair, suggesting during a recent Q&A at Georgia Pop and Horror Con that the fight was never going to go ahead.
"Him and Tyson are never gonna fight. That has been a scam from the very beginning just to boost Jake's name - and it has! This guy, everybody's talking about him, but he's never gonna fight Tyson. They were never planning on fighting each other, because a promoter would never let him fight anyone else in between a fight. Never - not that big a fight. It's been a scam from the beginning."
After the fight was postponed, Paul instead fought former UFC fighter Mike Perry, where he emerged into the arena in a chariot and demolished Perry on his way to a sixth-round TKO.
Following the fight, Esch caused a stir on social media when he offered to step in and fight Paul himself, although the former pugilist says he has yet to hear a response.
“Hey Jake Paul, would you fight me for $2million? Winner takes all," Esch said to his nearly 500,000 followers on TikTok.
Esch is a former professional in multiple combat sports including boxing, kickboxing, and MMA, and has a combined fight record of 97-24-5, with over 60 knockouts. Although he retired from the sport in 2013, the prospect of the Problem Child facing off against Butterbean, one of the most devastating knockout artists in combat sports history, is sure to entice many boxing fans.
Mike Tyson's Health Ahead of Jake Paul Fight
Although Tyson has uploaded numerous videos to his social media channels of his preparation for the fight where he looked in excellent shape, the concerns over his health are not going to dissipate. The veteran hasn't fought professionally since June 2005, when he quit before the start of the seventh round in a fight against journeyman Kevin McBride, and retired shortly after.
"I'm not going to fight again. I haven't got the fighting guts or the heart anymore," said the then 38-year-old Tyson.
The former heavyweight champion is over three decades older than Paul, and even without his ongoing medical issues, there are still concerns about whether he would be able to handle stepping into the ring for eight rounds, even against a fighter like Paul, who is primarily an influencer and a relative newcomer to the sport.
