Mike Tyson is looking to add Jake Paul to his list of career wins ahead of the boxing legend’s return to the ring tonight.
Though the sport’s purists will no doubt be keen to suggest this is not a real fight, the 58-year-old’s record (50-6, 44KOs) does indeed go back on the line on Friday 15 November at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
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‘Iron Mike’ is scheduled to meet the crossover YouTube star in eight two-minute rounds, which could end earlier in the event of a stoppage.
The fight had first been scheduled for July but was pushed back to November after Tyson suffered a health scare while on a flight between Los Angeles and Miami, though Tyson has since been showing off a ripped physique in training – to the point where Paul has admitted he’s getting a “little scared.”
Still, the 31-year age gap between the fighters is clearly difficult to ignore. As is the fact Tyson has not boxed professionally in close to two decades.
When did Mike Tyson last fight and who was his last opponent?
While Tyson did lace up a pair of gloves again to meet Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout in 2020, he has not boxed an official match since 2005.
Clearly, there will be suggestions that the Paul fight is not a genuine match either but there is at least some semblance of jeopardy. At 27, Paul is the much younger man and has fought professionally.
Tyson’s last fight came against Irish heavyweight Kevin McBride on June 11 2005, which ended in a sixth-round retirement despite the fact the American was leading on two of the judges’ scorecards.
After taking the decision to quit on his stool ahead of the seventh round, Tyson said: “I do not have the guts to be in this sport anymore. I don't want to disrespect the sport that I love. My heart is not into this anymore. I'm sorry for the fans who paid for this. I wish I could have done better."
