It seems, for many, the final press conference of the Jake Paul–Mike Tyson fight had been an eye-opener. With just a day left for the big fight, concerns, particularly those regarding Mike Tyson’s well-being, continue to persist.

Earlier, Olympic bronze medalist and trainer Tony Jefferies felt that Mike Tyson would win the bout. However, following Mike Tyson’s open workout and responses at the press conference, he seems to have changed his views. Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will clash at the iconic Cowboys Stadium. Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will join them at the co-main event. The event will feature a slew of fights, which include title defenses.

Mike Tyson: Not the fighter he once was

After watching the former heavyweight champion’s previous training and sparring footage, Tony Jeffries felt that Tyson would sweep off the match. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer. The open workout changed his views.

“I see Mike Tyson didn’t look good at all,” he said. Unlike the training clips, which might have been edited, it’s not possible to edit the open workout footage. Videos lasting more than two seconds revealed the whole picture.

The former professional boxer explained, “This guy should not be in there. Mike couldn’t gauge the distance with his trainer on the mitts; he was coming too close; the punches were missing the mitt; they were not hitting accurately enough, and his feet weren’t there either.” If that was not enough, the press conference further disheartened him.

Mike Tyson appeared vague and absorbed. “He seemed like a 58-year-old punch drunk fighter that didn’t know where he was,” said Jeffries regrettably. According to ‘The Might Mackem’, years of fighting may have taken a heavy toll on Tyson’s health. Tyson’s pre-retirement performance narrates a different story.

A few examples to reflect on

Even later, Tyson’s problems compounded. So it’s possible that, over a period of time, Mike Tyson’s boxing skills, such as punch resistance, stamina, or techniques, would have diminished gradually.

One just needs to connect the dots. The leap over from the time he faced consecutive defeats at the hands of Danny Williams and Kevin McBride to the current era when he is about to face an opponent thirty years his junior. The situation reminded Jefferies of Evander Holyfield‘s return. Ten years after he retired, ‘The Real Deal’ stepped into the ring to face MMA legend Vitor Belfort for an exhibition fight. Like Tyson now, Holyfield was 58 at the time. The fight ended in the most disastrous fashion, with Holyfield losing via first-round knockout.

Tony Jefferies fears Mike Tyson could suffer a similar fate. The Olympic medalist said, “I’m afraid that Mike Tyson is shot. didn’t seem to know what he was getting himself into; didn’t seem to know what was going on. It was really sad to see. I hope I’m wrong, but it looks like this could end terribly wrong for Mike Tyson.”

Just the other day, even Robert Garcia shared similar thoughts. Given how Mike Tyson’s last few fights ended up in defeats, he wondered how anyone could expect him to turn the tables twenty years later.

A different take on the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul show. Nevertheless, it might provoke many to think.

What is your view? Do you think Tony Jeffries is holding up a mirror to modern boxing in many ways?