Nakisa Bidarian, Jake Paul’s manager, has shut down criticism over the upcoming Mike Tyson fight.
The fight was initially set for June 20 live on Netflix. However, the fight was called off after Tyson withdrew with an inflamed ulcer. This led to increasing calls for the fight to be canceled. Tyson will be 58 when he enters the ring, while Paul is three decades younger. Mike has not had a pro boxing fight since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005. Tyson did have an exhibition in 2020 against Roy Jones Jr.
However, this will be a pro-fight. The Paul fight will now take place on November 15. Meanwhile, Paul will box Mike Perry next. Perry has had one boxing fight, getting knocked out by Kenneth McNeil in 2015. Perry is currently fighting in BKFC, with a 5-0 record. But he will now fight Paul, hoping to cause a major upset. If Paul wins, he should face Tyson next. Bidarian has dismissed criticism over the fight.
Paul’s Reaction
“Anyone can get an ulcer, or an injury. Mike Tyson and Jake Paul make sense because of the age, from my perspective. If Mike was in his early 30s, given Jake’s experience, there’s no sense to that fight. Age is the equalizing factor. When you look at Mike Tyson at age 27, he was 40-1. Jake Paul is 27, he’s 9-1. Jake Paul’s been a professional for four years, at that point, Mike Tyson was a professional for 14 years.
“What makes it exciting and real is there’s a chance that either guy can lose. If you ask the vast majority of the public, everyone thinks that Mike Tyson is gonna knock out Jake Paul. I think as long as he has a clean bill of health, which he did, and he 100 percent will if we move forward with November 15th, then of course that fight should happen,” Bidarian said
Pauls’ Future
Nevertheless, there are question marks over whether Paul should take the Tyson fight. He desires to become a world champion, meaning he must face more credible opposition. He is coming off two consecutive wins against pro boxers in the form of Andre August and Ryan Bourland. While they were not the biggest names, Paul was on his way to fighting better opposition.
It was the perfect response since losing to Tommy Fury, his first pro boxer. Paul was linked with a fight against Nico Walsh. The boxer defeated Sona Akale in a unanimous decision on the Teofimo Lopez vs. Steve Claggett card. After the win, Walsh stated that he turned down a big offer to fight Paul. This was based on facing better opposition. He then called out Teofimo Lopez for a fight. Meanwhile, Paul hit back by accusing Walsh of ducking him. However, a loss to either Perry or Tyson will set Paul back. But given that he will earn big paydays for those fights, it is a risk worth taking.
