Mike Tyson had such an impact on the sport of boxing that one of the current top heavyweights was named after him.
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Many would like to see that legacy left alone and are disappointed that he’s returning at 57-years-old to face YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul.
That doesn’t include Tyson Fury, ‘Iron’ Mike’s namesake and whose half-brother Tommy is the only man to beat Paul. He told The Stomping Ground that the controversial event was ‘fantastic for boxing.’
“I think it’s fantastic for boxing. You’ve got a legend in Mike Tyson, you’ve got a YouTube boxer who’s come into the game and blew it up with millions of followers and millions of views. Good, bad or indifferent, some people love him, some people hate him.
I think it’s a really good spectacle for boxing, it brings a lot of people to the game. Who am I to say Mike Tyson shouldn’t be boxing or Jake Paul shouldn’t be boxing? Good luck to them, they’re both gonna make what I call a s**t ton of money out of it.”
As for his verdict on the fight, Fury believes that, based on ‘Iron’ Mike’s short training clips posted online, it’s evenly matched.
“Okay the guy’s 57-years-old, but he’s former undisputed world heavyweight king and one guy who plays computers for a living who’s come into boxing about a year ago – so pretty even match … You’ve got to admire them both and I wish them both the best of luck. I seen Mike’s training hard on his videos, and Jake Paul’s always in shape. People say it’s s**t but I bet they still watch it.”
Many have pointed out that Tyson’s gym work, which does look impressive, is in short bursts designed for social media and doesn’t show what comes next – the recovery.
Whether he has what it takes to deliver that on the big stage over eight two-minute rounds remains to be seen. Of course, he himself may believe it will be over much quicker than that.
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