Few people know what to look for in a fight better than UFC President Dana White. But as for Tyson's fight against YouTuber Jake Paul on Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, he just wants to see Tyson get back on his feet.
White told longtime sports radio and television host Jim Rome on The Jim Rome Show that he was concerned about Tyson, 58, facing an opponent 27 years his junior.
White: “I love Mike Tyson, so I won't say anything bad about this fight.'' said. “My only hope is that Mike comes out of this game healthy.
“…I just hope he does. 58 years old, I mean 55 years old, obviously not an athlete at the level of Mike Tyson, but 27 vs. 58? At that age, just to be healthy and get injured.” It's hard to train continuously without having to train for something like this. I just love Mike. I hope he makes a lot of money on Friday. I hope he comes back healthy.”
Tyson's career boxing record is 50 wins and 6 losses, while Paul is 10 wins and 1 loss. But, as White pointed out, Tyson's “lifetime” encompasses a much longer period of time than Paul's. While it has become fashionable for some to dismiss Paul as a complete creation of the internet and someone who picks his matches (he definitely picks his matches), There is no doubt that he has serious boxing skills and knockout power to match.
Tyson terrorized the heavyweight division in the '80s and '90s with his terrifying knockout power, but he hasn't competed professionally since losing a sixth-round TKO to Kevin McBride in 2005. . Four years ago, he faced fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. in a match in which blows to the head were not allowed or strictly prohibited, and the result was ruled a draw. was.
Still, despite the very long odds against Tyson, White understands why Tyson will fight Paul.
“When you accomplish what Mike Tyson accomplished and you're offered that kind of money, it's hard to say no,” White said. “It's about Mike having money problems or something. Mike's fine. Mike's doing great, but when you have that kind of money thrown at him in front of you, I don't want to talk about this.” I did, and this story has been told a million times. The last time Mike was going to fight, I said, “Mike, don't do that.” So we got him involved in Shark Week. I gave him a contract to host Shark Week. He's like, “Oh, you care about me?” We've been fighting since I was 12 and you want to throw me into the water with the sharks? That's stupid. 'And I disagree with him. He's absolutely right.
“At the end of the day, that's none of our business. That's Mike Tyson's business. He's an adult. He's doing what he wants to do, and I love him, and it's Mike Tyson's business. I hope for the best.”
