Mike Tyson and Jake Paul told exactly why boxing fight is "not real"
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul were due to fight in July but the bout was postponed until November when Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul have been told their fight is "not real" by legendary broadcaster Jim Lampley.
Tyson and Paul were due to meet in a Texas ring in July but the fight was pushed back until November when the heavyweight legend suffered an ulcer flare-up. Both men insist the fight will be a professional one, despite it being held over eight two-minute rounds with both men wearing 14oz gloves.
And Lampley has echoed many in the sport's thoughts when explaining why the fight should not be taken seriously. “My opinion is, for me, and what really matters is what does Mike want to do?,” he told the Awful Announcing podcast.
"The audience loves him; the audience wants to see him. Jake Paul is a creature of social media. I, to this day, do not participate in social media. Think you can tell that I am basically old-fashioned. It’s not an event that appeals to me. And I wouldn’t expect to see anything meaningful for a serious boxing critic or reporter.
"The only reason I would watch it is in homage and loyalty to my very dear friend Mike Tyson. This is not going to be real boxing. This is not going to be a fight between two boxers who’ve trained most of their lives within the technique of boxing and who are at or near their physical peak. That’s not what we’re talking about."
Tyson, 58, and Paul, who is 30 years younger, insist they will both knock the other out at the AT&T Stadium, but the former has only been in the ring once in 20 years, in an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr four years ago. The legends fought to a bore draw over eight rounds in a bout with very similar rules to Tyson's clash with Paul.
The YouTuber has fought 11 times as a 'professional', winning 10 with his only defeat coming against Tommy Fury last year. Most recently, he stopped bare-knuckle fighter and former UFC star Mike Perry in the sixth round to ensure his fight with Tyson would go ahead.
Little has been seen of Tyson's training for the fight with the former undisputed heavyweight champion posting short clips on social media showing he still carries some power from his glory days.
