Ever since Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson was first announced, all the way back in March, Iron Mike has faced calls to pull out.
After all, nobody – barring the veteran himself – saw the sense in the showdown. For all the magic the 58-year-old once possessed, there were always concerns that this would be a mismatch.
Paul is not the finished article. He is not a fighter with the quality of the world’s best, or those who have become before.
Yet the 27-year-old was still able to beat Tyson at the AT&T Stadium in the early hours of Saturday morning, staining his rival’s reputation in the process.
Mike Tyson was outclassed by Jake Paul in their boxing fight in the early hours of Saturday morning
GETTY
Back in 2005, when Tyson was defeated by Kevin McBride – just 12 months after a humiliating loss to Danny Williams – it was obvious the heavyweight icon was a faded force.
Fast-forward to the year 2024, that couldn’t be any clearer.
Tyson does deserves some credit. To return to the ring at the age of 58 is extraordinary. To do so against a man over half his age, a man who trains regularly and has started to make his mark in boxing, is even more so.
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Yet this was a farce from start to finish. Though Tyson did well during the early stages, he was entirely out of gas after just the second round.
The bad omens were there from the start. Tyson nearly slipping as he walked out didn’t bode well. Neither did the evident strapping on his knee, either.
There were glimpses, but only glimpses, of the fighter he used to be.
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But this version of Tyson simply can’t move like he could before. He ambled around the ring, biting his gloves, quickly working out that he’d made a big mistake.
The odd punch drew gasps from the crowd but none, really, came close to delivering the decisive blow. There were even times when the 58-year-old icon was just forced to sit back and wait while his opponent dominated the proceedings.
In the seconds before the final round, Tyson cut a sad sight. With a pained look on his face he appeared rooted to his stool before eventually trudging back up.
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More to follow.