Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn has claimed he will not stay to watch the ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson next month.
Both fighters are ramping up their preparations ahead of their scheduled fight on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
The fight has garnered plenty of controversy since it was first announced earlier this year.
Tyson turned 58 years old this summer and is 31 years older than his opponent.
The bout was originally set to be an exhibition, but the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations approved requests from both fighters to sanction it as a professional fight.
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will fight on November 15
GETTY
It will be Tyson’s first professionally sanctioned fight since 2005 when he lost to Kevin McBride.
Hearn is not a fan of the fight going ahead and singled out Paul for letting it get to this stage.
“If I was Jake Paul I’d just feel a little bit embarrassed to be honest with you. It’s a liberty,” Hearn told the BBC.
“This is dangerous, irresponsible and, in my opinion, disrespectful to the sport of boxing.”
When Tyson originally retired back in 2005, he said he was leaving boxing as not to ‘disrespect the sport anymore by losing to this caliber of fighter’.
Hearn remembers Tyson’s final years in the ring and felt it was clear back then he no longer had the ability to fight.
And the Matchroom chairman fears an even tougher watch for boxing fans tuning into to see the former undisputed heavyweight world champion.
“The reality is that 20 years ago when Mike Tyson retired from the sport he was shot, completely finished,” he said.
“It was actually sad to watch then, 20 years ago.”
Eddie Hearn won’t stay and watch Jake Paul against Mike Tyson
PA
Despite disagreeing with the main event fight, Hearn had no issues in letting Matchroom fighter Katie Taylor join the card.
Taylor goes up against Amanda Serrano, who is signed to Paul’s promotions company, in a hotly-anticipated rematch from their Madison Square Garden fight in 2022.
Ireland’s undisputed light-welterweight champion controversially beat Serrano via split decision.
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Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will also be the co-main eventREUTERS
Hearn defended his decision to cash in on the pull of Tyson and Paul’s hotly-debated fight, but insisted he won’t be watching the main event.
“We received a massive offer for Katie. I’m not going to tell her she’s not allowed to fight on that card,” Hearn said. “Financially it’s the biggest purse of her career.
“I won’t be watching the main event. We’ll be there defending the belts, and then I’ll be off.”