Opinion: Sanctioning Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul as Pro-fight Would’ve Been an Embarrassment for the Sport

Some fights become history and some fights are better forgotten in history. The latter case could possibly describe what fans are to witness in three months in Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson. Neither is it a fight the boxing community wanted nor something they needed. The fans have yet to make peace with the announcement, and it could have been another declaration away from being a gut punch to boxing. How? By making ‘Iron Mike’ and ‘The Problem Child’ fight under professional rules on April 20.

However, that didn’t happen, luckily, as both are now set to lock horns in an exhibition bout. Otherwise, it would have been a debacle, something the fans might not have been prepared for. The visuals of Tyson, 57, exchanging blows with Paul, 27, would have been distressing for some fans, especially when the former heavyweight champion has struggled with his health in the past couple of years. Would an aging Tyson have been able to take on the toll of a professional fight that goes eight or ten rounds at least? It doesn’t seem that way.

Mike Tyson’s body and the crushing burden of a pro-fight

How do you see the fight between Tyson and Paul going down? Can you foresee the baddest man on the planet going at full throttle for three-minute rounds? How can the Brooklyn native go blow-for-blow with a 30-year younger opponent with 10-ounce boxing gloves? The fight might have started with Tyson putting early pressure on, but it could have gone downhill for him quickly.

Tyson is not the same ferocious fighter he once was. The fans wouldn’t have been able to bear to witness him getting pummeled and losing to a boxer, who has recently made the switch and is not even accepted into the boxing community by some. While he wanted to face Roy Jones Jr. in a three-minute round bout in 2020, the sanctioning body had reduced it to two, citing health concerns for the boxers. Moreover, there were chances of him sustaining a serious injury, and a joyous, nostalgic trip for fans might soon have turned into a nightmare.

There have been reports of his complicated health resurfacing, him walking with a cane to a UFC event, and images of him in a wheelchair. These didn’t evoke confidence among fans that Tyson could withstand whatever Paul would throw at him in the later rounds if their professional records were on the line. What’s more? There have been lingering doubts about whether the YouTuber-turned-boxer has enough to bag a date with one of the modern boxing greats.

Questions about Jake Paul’s legitimacy to challenge a former world champion

So, what has warranted Paul, at 9-1, to go against Tyson? Has he earned it? There are questions that fans have pressed, irrespective of the nature of the fight. If they dance around and entertain the crowd with sporadic, exciting exchanges in an exhibition affair, few can raise concerns about Paul’s credentials.

But the scenario flips over when the professional rules govern the fight. With the fights only against the likes of Tyron Woodley and Tommy Fury, how could he go up against Tyson, a name that once terrorized the heavyweights for well over a decade?

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While Paul might not pay heed to the current backlash, things might have changed for the worse, and the criticism might have grown loud. In addition, he would have been in a lose-lose situation if Texas had sanctioned the fight as a professional bout. If he had won, he would have beaten an old boxer. If he had lost, he would have lost to an old boxer. The scenario plays out a sideshow where the image of the boxing only gets tarnished.

Putting entertainment over boxing legacy

The fans will flock in huge numbers, and the fight will definitely end up being the most-watched fight in boxing history. It might bring purists and casual fans together. But it might also divide them sharply. The exhibition fights go back to Muhammad Ali fighting a Japanese professional wrestler, Antonio Inoki, and before.

However, entertainment and money might have spoiled this high-voltage contest of Paul vs. Tyson and even broken it if both fought under professional rules. Boxing remains a serious sport, a matter of pride for some, and despite the evolution of crossover boxing, the two spheres have a distinct identity. But Paul vs. Tyson shatters that image of boxing as a serious sport. The likes of Oscar De La Hoya also hold a similar thought process.

What do you make of this upcoming fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson? Do you believe the fight is better off as an exhibition affair? Let us know in the comments below.

Also Read: WATCH: Mike Tyson’s Leaked Sparring Footage for Jake Paul Fight, Head Movement and Combinations Reminds of His Young Days