Tyson may be 57, but he clearly still has some of his punching power that earned him the “Baddest Man on the Planet” nickname.
There is just three months to go until Paul and Tyson walk out at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, with the fight being broadcast live on Netflix to their 260 million current subscribers. Paul has received some criticism for fighting a man 30 years older than him, even if it is one of the most feared boxers of all time.
But Tyson isn’t just turning up for a big pay day, he’s ensuring he takes the fight very seriously and will want to become the second boxer to beat Paul after Tommy Fury won via split decision in February 2023. Paul has proven he has talent in the ring and has managed to lose the tag of ‘influencer boxer’ after challenging respected fighters, but his biggest challenge awaits.
It’s the second time that Tyson has agreed to put the gloves back on after retiring in 2005, also doing so while sitting on the stool five rounds into his bout with Kevin McBride. Tyson later fought eight rounds with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 during an exhibition bout.
Tyson has not fought professionally since he retired on his stool after five rounds against journeyman Kevin McBride almost two decades ago, but he did go eight rounds against fellow legend Roy Jones Jr. in a 2020 exhibition bout. Although Tyson looks as sharp as ever in training, Paul isn’t intimidated by the boxing icon.
Paul has been honest in admitting he fears Tyson, as every human on the planet would if they were placed inside a ring with the fighter who has 44 career knockouts. But it’s a healthy fear according to Paul, who said on his BS podcast: “It’s good to carry fear into the ring and with you on a daily basis when you’re training because it makes you better.
“It excites me that I have my toughest and craziest and most powerful opponent to date. The challenge of going to heavyweight is fun; it’s a benefit because I’ve been eating a lot of pasta.
“He definitely is looking like a f***ing animal. I will say people are underestimating me. When I go to his comments, they’re saying if Mike loses then fighting is rigged. They see how good he looks on the mitts but Mike looking good on the mitts is not even half the battle, he’s got to face me in the ring. I think he might be seeing these videos and his confidence is growing.”
Paul heads into the fight as a favorite, and is currently priced at 4/7 to beat Tyson on July 20. However, those odds have changed since the fight was announced, as Paul initially was priced at 1/3 until footage was released.