Former heavyweight champ fears Jake Paul could put Mike Tyson, 57, in a ‘COMA’ and tarnish boxing legend’s legacy
DEONTAY WILDER fears Jake Paul could put Mike Tyson in a “COMA” and tarnish the boxing legend’s legacy.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer and heavyweight icon are to collide in a controversial clash on July 20 in Arlington.
Tyson will be 58 by the time of the bout and almost 20 YEARS removed from his last professional bout.
But he will put his illustrious record on the line against 9-1 Paul following the news it is to be officially sanctioned.
There will be revised rules, with the pair fighting in bigger 14oz gloves opposed to 10oz and over eight, two not three minute rounds.
Still, former WBC heavyweight world champion Wilder, 38, slammed the Texas commission for giving the green light to sanction it.
He told Sportsbook Review: “I think it’s bad the commission has licensed Mike Tyson because he hasn’t been active in 20 years.
“So they should not just licence him because of who he is, that’s how people get hurt, god forbid he gets hurt.
“People can get hit in the wrong place and at the wrong time, there’s lots of examples where guys have been hit into a coma.
“It’s easy to do. He’s too old for this. At the end of the day, no one gives a f*** about Mike.
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“We can talk about the pros and cons, but at the end of the day, they don’t give a f***.
“I don’t think anyone cares about Mike because if they did they wouldn’t sanction the fight.
“They may say they’ve done tests and all that, OK, but as long as you’re willing to suffer the consequences if something bad goes wrong.”
Paul, 27, has been beaten only once in his ten bouts, losing a split-decision to Tommy Fury, 25, in Saudi Arabia last year.
But he has won three since, while Tyson was last in the ring for a 2020 exhibition with Roy Jones Jr which ended in a draw.
His boxing career officially ended in 2005 following dismal defeats to Danny Williams and Kevin McBride, who is now a tree surgeon.
But Wilder reckons losing to prankster-gone-prizefighter Paul would be even more sole crushing than his last two losses.
He said: “His power may not have left completely but you still need to set it up, your stamina needs to be a certain way, or it’s going to look like a clown show.
“I don’t want to see it to be honest. I don’t want to see one of my legends fight a YouTuber.
“If he goes in there and he knocks Mike out, that’s going to tarnish the reputation of Mike.
“I don’t want the last thing I remember of him is him getting knocked out by a Youtuber.
“The last thing you do, that’s what people remember you by.”