Eddie Hearn has voiced strong disapproval to the Tyson-Paul match, raising concerns over safety as well as respect for the game. Hearn made it clear that he will not stay to follow proceedings of the fight after promoting the highly expected rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano on November 15. His objections to the fight stem from concerns over Tyson's age and the potential risks involved in such a mismatch.
Hearn (the boxing promoter) will attend the episode at AT&T Stadium to support Katie Taylor in her rematch with Amanda Serrano, though he claims that he will leave before the main event.
“And if he gets hurt, then it’s on those people… I’ll watch Katie Taylor and then I’ll leave. I can’t watch that,” said Hearn.
"The reality is that 20 years ago when Mike Tyson retired from the sport he was shot, completely finished," said the Matchroom boss. "It was actually sad to watch then, 20 years ago,” he continued.
Brooklyn-born legendary Tyson became the youngest world heavyweight champion when he defeated Trevor Berbick aged 20 in 1986, and was the first to concurrently hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles a year later.
During the press briefing, Hearn didn't shred words. He believes that the fight poses a great risk to Tyson’s health and well-being, a situation that is aggravated by fact that Tyson has already incurred health complications in recent past.
"I think it's a huge shame that one of the biggest legends of the sport is coming back to the ring 20 years after everyone agreed he should stop boxing. He's 58 years old - that's dangerous," he said.
Moreover, according to Hearn putting a boxer of Tyson's age in the bout with a 27-year-old like Jake Paul depicts a lack of respect for the game.
“I think it’s a huge shame that one of the biggest legends of the sport comes back, 20 years after everybody knew he shouldn’t be boxing anymore," he said.
Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson, 58, has not wrestled professionally since 2005, while YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, 27, has scored 10 of his 11 professional matches.
