Tyson, who’ll be 58 by the time it comes to stepping back inside the squared circle, has released several training videos in a bid to convince fans he’s healthy enough to compete. The 50-6 former heavyweight champion can still pack a punch, though, and that’s why Fury has questioned why boxing fans aren’t “intrigued” as he declared the fight “fantastic” for the sport.
“I think it’s fantastic for boxing,” Fury told ‘The Stomping Ground’. “You’ve got a legend in Mike Tyson. You’ve got a YouTube boxer [Jake Paul]. He has come into the game and blew it up and he’s got millions of followers and millions of views and millions of eyes. Good, bad or indifferent. Some people love him, some people hate him. So, I think it’s a really good spectacle for boxing. Brings a lot of people to the game.”
Fury added: “Listen, who am I to say, ‘Oh, Mike Tyson shouldn’t be boxing or Jake Paul shouldn’t be boxing, good luck to ’em. They’re both gonna make what I call a s*** ton of money out of it. So, isn’t that what it’s about?
“[They’re fighting at] a great stadium. It’d be fantastic for the guys both getting paid, both gonna put on a show. I just don’t know what’s not to like. Oh, okay, [Tyson’s] 57 years old, but he’s a former undisputed world heavyweight king, and [Paul] plays computers for a living and he’s come to boxing about a year ago. So, pretty even match.
“From being a kid on the Disney Channel to fighting Mike Tyson. Who wouldn’t want to do that? …People say, ‘Oh, it’s s***’, this, that and the other. But, I bet they still watch it. Who’s not intrigued?”
The rules of Paul and Tyson’s fight are yet to be finalised and it’s unclear whether it will be a professional fight or an exhibition. It has, however, been confirmed that the duo will not be wearing head guards, as previously speculated.
The last time Tyson fought was in 2020 when he fought Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition but according to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, the organisers are looking at getting it sanctioned as a pro bout. “They’re still working on a few important details based on the conversations I’ve had,” Helwani stated on The MMA Hour. “Is it pro or is it an exhibition? They want pro, but that’s up to the Texas commission, we’ll have to wait and see. Weight? I’m told heavyweight. Rounds? I’m working on that as well.”
