Mike Tyson has been accused of altering footage of himself by former boxing star Barry McGuigan as the veteran prepares for his comeback against Jake Paul on Friday night.
The 58-year-old will be taking part in his first fight in four years, having drawn with Roy Jones Jr back in 2020.
Tyson has been regularly updating fans with footage of himself hitting the pads in the gym, with the boxing icon eager to show he still possesses the magic of old.
Many have been left in awe by the clips but McGuigan, speaking to The Guardian, doesn’t believe it is ‘real’.
Mike Tyson has been accused of altering footage of himself by former boxing star Barry McGuigan as the veteran prepares for his comeback against Jake Paul on Friday night
“I’m 63 and Tyson’s only five years behind me,” he said.
“So the idea of him boxing any guy, even if he’s only ordinary, is just so wrong at that age.
“You are your reputation. That’s what people remember. And I remember Mike Tyson as a wrecking machine.
“He really was one of the most dangerous heavyweights that ever laced on gloves. There’s no doubt about that.
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“And I don’t want people to say in 20 years’ time: ‘Oh, that’s that guy that had that sham of a fight with that YouTuber.'”
The former boxing star then added: “A 58-year-old amn shouldn’t be fighting. He just shouldn’t.
“At that age your punch resistance invariably disappears. And while we see all these clips of Tyson doing the pads, that’s not real.
“What’s real is sparring against good quality opposition and seeing how you look then. You can be sure he’s not doing that given his age.”
There have been suggestions from some corners that the upcoming showdown will be scripted.
And McGuigan fears the worst, with the 63-year-old concerned that their might be coreography involved.
“I hope that it’s proper, and it’s not a load of choreographed nonsense,” he said.
“And I hope it’s for real. But if Tyson in his 20s hit Jake Paul he would have put him in hospital for a week. Not now because he’s an old man.”
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Mike Tyson has been hitting the pads hard as he prepares for his boxing fight with Jake Paul
While many have criticised the pair for agreeing to fight, the big battle looks set to go ahead on Friday night.
It will actually be Tyson’s first professional clash since 2005, when he retired on the back of a poor defeat to Kevin McBride.
As for Paul, the 27-year-old is looking to claim his biggest scalp yet.
While the former YouTuber is a divisive figure in the sport, he’s won 10 of his 11 bouts during his career so far.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will fight on Friday night
GETTY
His latest victory was against Mike Perry, with Paul winning via a sixth-round knockout.
His only defeat came against Tommy Fury in February last year. However, if he beats Tyson, big opportunities likely lie ahead.