On November 15, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the much-anticipated and controversial boxing match Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul will take place. British promoter Eddie Hearn will be present, as his star Katie Taylor will be involved in the co-main event against Amanda Serrano. However, Hearn has no intention of staying to watch the main event.
Here’s what Hearn said, as reported on X by journalist Michael Benson:
“I think it’s a huge shame that one of the biggest legends of the sport comes back 20 years after everybody knew he shouldn’t be boxing anymore. At 55 or however old he is. He’s 58? Jesus Christ, he’s nearly 60. Like, you have no respect for the sport of boxing if you put Mike Tyson in a ring at 58 years of age. And if he gets hurt, then it’s on those people… I’ll watch Katie Taylor and then I’ll leave. I can’t watch that.”
The legendary “Iron Mike” (click here to read his sports story) fought his last professional boxing match on June 11, 2005, when he was defeated after six rather forgettable rounds by Irish heavyweight Kevin McBride. Since then, Tyson had stayed away from the ring until November 2020, when he had an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. It was a friendly fight where heavy punches were forbidden, and part of the proceeds went to charity.
Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul will be a completely different fight, as there will be no rule preventing the fighters from throwing their hardest punches and aiming for a KO. This will be a regular professional bout, and the result will officially enter the records of both athletes.
The Texas Athletic Commission approved the fight after both teams agreed on some rules to protect the nearly 60-year-old Tyson. Specifically, the gloves used will be more padded than usual (14 ounces instead of the standard 10 ounces), and the scheduled eight rounds will last two minutes each instead of the traditional three.
Many experts have raised concerns similar to those voiced by Eddie Hearn, but there’s no doubt that a large portion of the audience is eagerly awaiting the event.