Mike Tyson has not ruled out another return to the ring following the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion’s first sanctioned professional fight since 2005.
The eight-round fight was won by Jake Paul by unanimous decision at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys on Friday night.
Paul will continue to wonder when he will fight an opponent in the prime of his life, rather than aging former champions, mixed martial artists or seasoned boxers.
The 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer’s responses have been consistent, and he now has a schedule.
“I think it could happen in the next 24 months,” Paul said.
“I truly believe in my skills, my abilities and my power. And the cruiserweight division is apparently open at this time.
Jake Paul.
Tyson, whose last fight before retirement was a loss to Kevin McBride 19 years ago, said he was confident in facing Paul because of an entertaining exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. ahead of no audiences during the 2020 pandemic.
A shorter fight (8 instead of 10 or 12 rounds) with shorter rounds (two minutes instead of three) and heavier gloves was far from entertaining.
The International Boxing Hall of Famer attacked Paul in the opening seconds, then briefly at the start of the second round. For the rest, he mostly let Paul come to him, and Paul said he thought Tyson was too tired to be a threat beyond the third round.
However, Tyson did not want to say that this was his last fight, after the officially recorded defeat reduced his record to 50-7 with 44 knockouts.
“It depends on the situation,” Tyson said before suggesting a fight against Paul’s older brother, Logan Paul, who was standing near him in the ring.
“I’m going to kill you, Mike,” Logan Paul responded, using an expletive for emphasis.
There is no doubt that young Paul will return to the ring. The former social media influencer started boxing about 4 1/2 years ago and has always said he wants to become a championship fighter.
“He’s a very good fighter,” said Tyson, undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990, after Paul’s victory (80-72 for one judge and 79-73 for the other two).
Paul still has a lot to prove. He has a record of 11 wins and 7 losses, the only one having been conceded to Tommy Fury, the less accomplished brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The former Disney Channel star has proven she can create buzz for just about any fight.
The first live sporting event on Netflix attracted tens of millions of viewers, with Paul putting the figure at 120 million while specifying that the company he co-founded, Most Valuable Promotions, would provide figures on Tuesday.
According to some sources, Mr. Paul’s salary was $40 million, compared to Mr. Tyson’s $20 million. Paul mentioned his figure at a promotional event over the summer.
Organizers estimated the AT&T Stadium crowd at 72,000, which appears to be a legitimate number.
“There may never be a moment like this again in boxing, but I believe we can find something,” Paul said. And I think there are some names that make sense and that the events will be just as important.
In the days leading up to his fight with Tyson, Paul mentioned super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, considered one of the best boxers in the world.
An opponent of that caliber is probably out of Paul’s reach, and it won’t be long before age becomes an issue for the 34-year-old Alvarez.
Paul’s camp will never question his ability to put on a show.
“Boxing is ups and downs, big events, small events, mid-sized events,” said Nakisa Bidarian, Jake Paul’s promoter. “Our philosophy is that what matters is not the decision made in the ring, but the attitude you adopt. What matters is the attitude you have, the product you create and how you entertain your fans. And there is no more entertaining athlete than Jake Paul.
