Francis Ngannou had a hard time watching his good friend Mike Tyson fight Jake Paul.
58-year-old Tyson managed to avoid taking any serious shots, but lost a unanimous decision to Paul in their Netflix boxing match headliner Friday at AT&T Stadium.
Ngannou, who had Tyson in his corner for his boxing debut against Tyson Fury, credited the boxing legend for going the distance with Paul, but didn’t enjoy seeing this version of him.
“It just hurt me to see Mike there in that situation,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “Like, knowing Mike, what he can do and see him there with Jake Paul, and Jake Paul like – hey man, like, that sight just hurt me. Although, you have to give it to Mike, man.
“This is 58-year-old Mike Tyson that’s been doing this sport since 12 years old, I believe, and to still be able to stand up on his own, at this age, I think it’s impressive. Stand up against a young 27-year-old guy, even though I would say he wouldn’t be at that level, but wasn’t that much of a threat for Mike. You have to give it up to him.”
Tyson stood toe-to-toe with Paul at the start, before eventually slowing down. Paul later revealed that he took it easy on the boxing legend, and carried him through the rounds to avoid hurting him.
For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Tyson.
