Larry Holmes previews Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson in detail
Boxing legend and former heavyweight world champion Larry Holmes – who shared the ring with other boxing greats Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson – gave his verdict on the highly anticipated yet controversial bout between Tyson and Jake Paul on November 15th.
Tyson and Holmes fought back in January 1988 for the WBA, WBC and IBF Heavyweight titles. Despite the loss, Holmes advises Jake Paul to fight like he did and run away from Tyson to avoid his power.
He also reminisces on his time with the late, great Muhammad Ali and states that current heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury would be top 10 heavyweights in his era.
Speaking to OLBG Larry Holmes said:
Both Mike Tyson and Jake Paul are making more money in one fight than I did in 70!
“No, it won’t affect Tyson’s legacy if he loses, but, if Jake wins, all hell is going to break loose.
“If Jake Paul wins, they’re going to have a parade all set up, that’s what’s going to happen. I’m not saying he wins, but if he does, people are going to go crazy.
“But I don’t care who wins, these guys are making more money in one fight than I did in 70 fights. I’m glad these guys are making money.”
Jake Paul better be ready — Mike Tyson’s punches can kill!
“I watched a clip of Mike Tyson this morning and all I can say is Jake better be ready if he’s going to fight Mike. Mike will be able to last the two-minute rounds. Mike comes to fight when he puts his mind to it, he goes to work on you. And that’s what I’ve seen today. And if this guy tries to trade punches with Mike, he loses.
“Mike is a puncher. I fought Mike and he hit me and that was the end of it. Earnie Shavers was one of the hardest punchers there’s ever been and Mike is right up there with him at the top. Earnie Shavers was the hardest I’ve ever faced but when Tyson hits, he tries to kill you. And Mike can take a good punch, I hit him a couple of times and he kept on coming.
“Jake will hit him, but Mike is going to keep on coming. He better be ready for Mike to keep coming forward with punches.
“The only way Jake Paul wins is if he fights like me, Larry Holmes, and runs away from Mike Tyson
“If Jake moves like Larry Holmes did, around in circles, ducking punches then he might be able to survive. But if he doesn’t move around, duck Mike’s punches, he’s not going to make it.
“He has to bang that jab out. Block what he throws and throw back. If he doesn’t fight Mike Tyson smartly, using movement and jabs, he won’t win. If tries to trade punches he’s not going to win.
“The only way he wins the battle is if he runs. If he doesn’t use his jab and movement, it’s goodnight, Irene. He’s in trouble if he does not use his jab. You have to beat Tyson to the punch, use the jab, and be first. When the bell rings, Tyson’s going to run at him, and he’ll have to stop Mike with a strong right hand and left hook.
“If he doesn’t get Mike’s respect early, Mike is going to run over him, believe me. He has to hit Mike hard right off the bat otherwise it’s goodnight, Irene. If he can do that, he’s got it made, but Mike is going to do that too, so it’s going to come down to who hits first.”
Mike knocked the s**t out of me and embarrassed me
“Tyson ducks, moves his head, and gets in close. He’ll take a punch or two to get in close, and then once he’s up close he’ll go to work on the body, and then that head.
“Mike knocked the s**t out of me, he hit me so hard I went ‘wooooo’. And he beat me. It was embarrassing.
“I remember the right hand he hit me with – I thought at the time ‘he should be locked up’ because of the power, and he kept on coming, growling like Joe Frazier.
“That’s the fight I’m expecting Mike to put on. Jake has to survive that.
“I’m looking for a great show from both fighters worthy of a big fight night in Vegas I’m not expecting anything. I’m just looking for a good fight like everybody else.
“Mike Tyson’s gonna do his thing and fight the way he always fights. I think if I’m gonna bet my money, I’ll bet on Mike Tyson because I know him. I see him. I was around him. I know what he’s made of.
“I wish both of them the best, I hope they don’t get hurt. They have Larry Holmes’ support.”
British boxer Ricky Hatton also believes Tyson could win by knockout read more…
Muhammad Ali never told Tyson to get revenge for him, we were friends
“I heard that, but Ali did not say that. He wasn’t that kind of a guy. He was my friend. It sounds like something people wish had happened, but Ali wasn’t like that.
“He’d always say, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” I used to say ‘you can float like a butterfly until I get to you’. He never tried to hurt me in sparring; he just worked on his jab. It helped me a lot with my jab too.”
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury would have been top 10 fighters in my era
“We were tougher. We never said ‘who are we going to fight?’ We just fought. We fought everybody, no picking and choosing. But Anthony Joshua’s a good fighter, you can’t take that away from him, he’s a good fighter. He would have been a top 10 heavyweight in my era. He’d be a good fighter in my era, same goes for Tyson Fury. Those guys are dedicated, but you had to fight each other in my era; there was no way around it.”