Boxing icon Mike Tyson has been the focus of the combat sports world ever since he announced his return against YouTuber-turned-boxer, Jake Paul. For many, it’s a chance to see the icon once again in action, but guess what? UFC CEO Dana White has a different take on this situation. He doesn’t think that a 58-year-old Tyson should ever consider coming back to fight again.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul were set to butt heads on July 16th. However, ‘Iron’ suffered a health emergency while traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast. But as the fight still remains intact, which has been rescheduled to November, Dana White added some concerning statements regarding Tyson’s return to the boxing ring.
Dana White claims Mike Tyson should not fight Jake Paul
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Mike Tyson is not an ordinary opponent for Jake Paul because, unlike the other retired UFC fighters he fought, fans have the utmost confidence in ‘Iron’ to end ‘The Problem Child’s boxing endeavor. But what does Dana White think about Tyson’s chances to defeat Paul? Well, the UFC CEO believes that the boxing icon will always have the all-important “puncher’s chance” because as far as he’s concerned, Paul hasn’t impressed him with his past performances.
“Tyson’s 58 years old, you know what I mean? Jake fought a guy who was his age and was also considered a boxer and he lost. So, if you keep fighting f***ing 50-something-year-olds and making a living out of it,” Dana White stated on the ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast. However, he did raise a concern about Mike Tyson because fighting at such an age always poses the threat of getting severely injured.
Dana White then further went on to add, “I think that Mike Tyson has a puncher’s chance against anybody. Mike’s 58 years old, you know what I mean? I hate doing this because Mike gets mad at me every time I do this but Mike shouldn’t be fighting.”
While fans await Mike Tyson’s return in November, MMA icon Nate Diaz decided to pay ‘Iron’ a special tribute, who recently fought former UFC BMF champion, Jorge Masvidal in an instant classic boxing match. Let’s see what the tribute was all about.
Nate Diaz paid tribute to ‘Iron’ during his recent boxing match
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Jake Paul’s former opponent Nate Diaz, successfully capitalized on his shot at redemption against Jorge Masvidal, making him bite the dust with a majority decision win. But guess what? That wasn’t the only headline the Stockton native generated that day. In fact, Diaz felt it would be great to walk out with a hoody with the words “Be Real” printed on it. If you don’t understand how that could be a reference to Tyson, well, those are the same words ‘Iron’ wore during his fight against Francois Botha back in 1999.
Nate Diaz' tribute to Mike Tyson during walkout for Jorge Masvidal fight pic.twitter.com/TF7Dod65aG
— Best MMA Moments (@XcellentMMA) July 7, 2024
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“That’s what this whole sh*t is all about. Come in here and whoop a**. And if you got the f***ing lights and cameras on you, you tell me what’s real. When I saw Mike Tyson walk out like that, that’s it. That’s what this whole sh*t is about,” Nate Diaz responded when asked about his tribute to Mike Tyson. And well, like Iron Mike in his prime, Diaz made sure to make it a night for him to remember.
Meanwhile, what do you think about Dana White’s comments on Mike Tyson’s boxing return? Drop your comments below.
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