Mike Tyson hits out at talk of the age gap between him and Jake Paul
Mike Tyson is to take on Jake Paul in a huge fight Netflix in summer but has been forced to respond to criticism of the contest which as been coming in from all quarters.
Jake Paul, fresh off his knockout victory over Ryan Bourland, has faced off against UFC luminaries like Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Ben Askren. Despite his achievements, Paul has faced criticism for not competing against traditional boxers. Now, he’s gearing up to take on boxing icon Mike Tyson, aged 57.
Tyson, approaching 58 at the time of the bout, last stepped into the ring for an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, which garnered significant pay-per-view numbers.
While Paul hails the event as the ‘biggest fight of the 21st century,’ concerns have been raised by figures like UFC star Conor McGregor and Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, particularly regarding the significant 30-year age gap between the two fighters.
Speaking via Reuters, Tyson has dismissed the criticism of his age as jealousy.
“I’m 58, and what? I’m getting billions of views from just talking about fighting.
“Everybody, even most of the athletes, they’re jealous… You couldn’t sell out an arena. Who, at 58, can sell out an 80,000-seat arena?
“Why do you think he wants to fight me and not anybody else? All the boxers want to fight him. But if he fought them, the only people that will come are the people that like him. Their parents might not even come watch them.”
The fight is not yet confirmed to be either an exhibition or a full professional contest.