“I Don’t Want Jake Paul to Get Hurt”: Lennox Lewis on Why Mike Tyson Fight Should Not Be Sanctioned

In their time, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson participated in one of the most acrimonious battles. The lead-up to their fight saw the two get into a free-for-all brawl at the New York press conference. Lewis won the bout via an eighth-round knockout. It effectively concluded Tyson’s last attempt at becoming a world champion. Over two decades have passed since the two boxing greats entered the ring. Given the bad blood they shared, a logical stream of thought would expect a diluted but still lingering bitterness. But no, instead of what might have surprised many, Lennox Lewis rather suggested a triumph for his former rival.

Nearly four years after he and Roy Jones Jr. faced off in an exhibition, Mike Tyson will once again enter the ring to exchange jabs with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. The duo will meet for an exhibition match on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Lennox Lewis: Empathy for the Vanquished

TMZ Sports caught up with the last undisputed heavyweight boxing champion. The reporter asked whether Lewis had been looking forward to the much-anticipated fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. The British-Canadian Olympic gold medalist replied, “Absolutely, absolutely, it’s going to be a great fight. I’m looking forward to it.”

The reporter immediately threw the next poser: “Do you wish it was a sanctioned fight and not an exhibition like it’s going to be?” Lennox Lewis responded back that he wouldn’t have sought such a requirement for the simple reason that later he would have felt very bad for Jake Paul. “No, cuz I would feel really bad for Jake Paul. I don’t want him to get hurt,” said Lennox Lewis.

For the benefit of the readers, even if a bout is an exhibition, it has to get the requisite sanction. Reportedly, organizers tried getting a pro-bout sanction for the Tyson-Paul match, but it didn’t succeed.

Even Reel Life Says So

Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be the first time Lennox Lewis would be expressing his confidence in his former opponent. Early last month, through his Instagram account, the former heavyweight champion shared something interesting. It carried a sequence from a virtual mixed martial arts fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. He wrote, “So I hear @miketyson will be fighting @jakepaul. Not quite sure how that will go, but it could be something like this.”

The simulated game of a much younger version of ‘Iron’ Mike facing Jake Paul ended no sooner than it had started as a right overhand from the former connected neatly, sending ‘The Problem Child’ on a downward spiral to the canvas.

One of the followers backed Lennox Lewis’ stand. They mentioned that if the July 20 fight is not fixed, then, in all probability, the match has every chance of following the virtual game’s outcome.

Do you agree with Lennox Lewis’s assessment? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

Also Read: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Gets Branded as “Farce Exhibition”; IBHOF Elector Claims Lennox Lewis Better Than Tyson in This One Aspect