The Irishman who was the last boxer to defeat Mike Tyson has given his take on his former opponent's decision to fight Jake Paul.
The Clones Colossus Kevin McBride sent Tyson into retirement in 2005 when he defeated the former heavyweight champion of the world by TKO in the sixth round.
Tyson competed in an exhibition bout against Corey Sanders a year later before fighting Roy Jones Jr to a draw in a 2020 exhibition. Should Tyson's fight with Paul be considered a non-exhibition fight, it will be his first official bout since that 2005 loss to McBride.
Speaking to InstantCasino, McBride gave his take on his old foe returning to the ring to fight the social media star turned boxer.
“When you're a fighter like Tyson I can tell you he's going in there to win and to take care of business. He does not want to look back and think he let Jake Paul off the hook.
"He's going in there to win and Paul will need to be on his best form to survive. I can tell from the media that Tyson has done so far that he wants to win, it's in his blood, the competition will never leave him.”
McBride fought for another six years after beating Tyson, eventually retiring in 2011. He has spent almost a decade and a half in retirement, but revealed that he would get back into the ring for a rematch with Tyson.
“Jake Paul's getting a little bit better, he’s getting more ring experience, but he's going to find out the power Tyson has. Paul is maybe half the age of Tyson but Tyson is so dangerous.
"Power is the last thing you lose. You can see it on the videos he's posting, it may only be a short video, but it's unbelievable power. All Mike Tyson has to do is connect and Jake Paul will be seeing Christmas lights for the next week.
"He’ll time him in the first couple rounds and it will be over. Tyson is a legend and if he beats Paul you can tell him that if he wants to avenge his defeat, let's get it on. I'd come out of retirement for another Mike Tyson fight. Or if either man pulls out, I'll jump in."
And what about a potential fight with Paul?
“If Jake Paul's takes the mantle of the last man to beat Mike Tyson then I'd hope Jake Paul would give me the opportunity to fight him, then he'd have the chance to be the last man to beat Tyson and McBride. I'd jump in there with him.
