‘Age Doesn’t Matter’: Mike Tyson and Jake Paul Discuss Experience Versus Youthful Dynamics of Boxing

Perhaps nothing could underline the age difference between Mike Tyson It is Jake Paulo more than these two facts: When a 20-year-old Tyson became the youngest heavyweight boxing champion In 1986, Paul wasn’t even a thought in his parents’ minds. And eleven years later, when Tyson infamously bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear during their rematch in 1997, Paul was still in diapers.

Now, in the year 2024, Paul, 27, is somehow set to face Tyson in a live-streamed Netflix boxing match scheduled for eight two-minute rounds on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. When the opening bell sounds, Tyson will be 58 years old, having last competed in a 2020 exhibition fight with Roy Jones Jr. which ended in a draw.

There are natural age and skill questions surrounding Tyson (50-6) vs. Paul (9-1), with skeptics wondering if Tyson is too old to still compete. Your answer?

“I think the people who said that wish they were here,” Tyson said during Monday’s news conference in New York. “Because no one else can do it. Who else can do this? Who else can shut down the sporting world? Can not someone else just do it. You’ve got both of us and we’re going to do this.

What about Paul? Yes, he obviously has youth on his side, but that also means that Tyson is much more experienced compared to Paul, who has been boxing for just over four years, mainly against MMA fighters and low-level boxers.

What are the chances of Paul getting hit by Tyson, who is shown in training videos to still possess knockout power even at his age.

“A lot of people are doubting me,” Paul said. “I go into the Instagram comments and see everyone saying, ‘If Jake wins this fight, he’s rigged’ because of how incredible he looks. Age does not matter. Age is just a number. He’s an assassin, he’s a warrior, he’s been doing this his whole life so it’s second nature to him. I’ve been doing this for four years and I’ve been doing it at a super high level.

“On July 20th, I will show the world that I can surpass Mike Tyson and prove everyone wrong and show everyone that I will be the one who kills.”

As evidenced by the first playful confrontation after Monday’s press conference, Tyson and Paul have a friendly relationship. Tyson, however, said that will be put aside when fight night arrives.

“We’re friends,” Tyson said. “There is no doubt that we are friends, but in this ring we will not be friends. That’s exactly what it is.”

For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paulo x Tyson.

This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie