Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time! A lot of questions will certainly be answered on November 15th, when Iron Mike gets his 16 minutes inside the squared circle against Jake Paul. For those of you saying “Oh, Jake Paul has never fought a real boxer”, now, he is fighting ‘The’ boxer—the youngest heavyweight champion in history, “the most brutal, the most vicious, and the most ruthless champion”, Mike Tyson. If you are still not convinced, read that again!
To set things straight, Jake Paul has the advantage of youth. He is 30 years younger than Mike Tyson who retired from professional boxing back in 2005. While Jake Paul has been actively beating extremely talented fighters like Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and Mike Perry, to name a few, the retired boxing legend has been distancing himself from his younger, meaner, and badder self. Known for ending his fights fast with his devastating power, pressure, and ferociousness, Tyson has come a long way in his search for peace and meaning in life. But just for 16 minutes (eight 2-minute rounds), boxing fans around the world are hoping to see the aged warrior tap into his former self one last time. And we think it is possible!
1. The Power and Experience That Outclasses Anyone and Everyone
Giving credit where it’s due, saying Jake Paul surely packs a punch, is an understatement. ‘El Gallo’ has displayed his impressive punching power against tough opponents. He dropped Mike Perry in rounds one, two, and six. He dropped Stockton’s own Nate Diaz in round five, and Silva in round eight. Tommy Fury too got dropped in the eighth round against Paul.
So saying “Jake Paul is not a boxer” has to be dismissed, strictly. However, speaking of dropping people, the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ remains a class apart, and it’s not even a debate. Remember when Tyson fought Marvis Frazier in 1986? For the modern-day boxing fans out there, the fight lasted for 30 seconds! In the words of Joe Rogan, “It [the fight] was an execution.”
No disrespect, Mike Tyson has more than double the number of first-round finishes (24) than Jake Paul’s total fights (11). Watching Tyson land a left to the body followed by an uppercut is boxing at its finest. But does he still have it? Is he still the mean knockout machine that he once was? Well, it is natural and highly plausible that we may have lost that once-in-a-lifetime special fighter. But… he is still Mike Tyson! Looking at his latest training footage with coach Rafael Cordeiro, he still is in great shape, better than a lot of 20-year-olds today. He is fast and powerful. So powerful that he overwhelms training partners half his age.
This is reminiscent of a scene from the 2006 movie, Rocky Balboa. Remember when Duke tells Rocky, “You know all there is to know about fighting, so there’s no sense going down that same road again. Every time you hit him with these shots, it’s gotta feel like he tried kissing the express train.”
While Tyson can never outdo Jake’s power of youth, what could ‘El Gallo’ do to stop Tyson from marching forward and throwing bombs at him? And, let’s not forget, that Tyson’s nerve-wracking, pile-driving punches are powered by his motive to destroy and kill his opponents. So, when it comes to sheer power—whether he’s 20 or 60—Mike Tyson still takes the crown.
2. Mike Tyson Is the Master of Mental Warfare
Every time Mike Tyson straps his gloves on, he is on a mission, and that is to kill or be killed. This mindset has always given Mike Tyson a psychological edge over many of his opponents. Remember when a reporter asked him what he thought of Peter McKneeley ahead of their fight in 1995? Tyson called him “cute”, and went on to annihilate the Massachusetts native in mere 90 seconds.
When famous rapper Ice Cube sat down for a conversation with Joe Rogan, he pointed out the psychological advantage Mike Tyson had over his opponents. In his words, Mike Tyson didn’t care about the “pretty robe” other boxers would adorn during their walkouts. In fact, in many of his walkouts, Tyson was seen with just a towel over his shoulders. “He ain’t here for none of that. He just here to whoop your a**,” Ice Cube stated.
Even though Mike Tyson is pushing 60, when Jake Paul steps inside the ring with him, how is he going to react and perform when he looks across the other corner and finds the former two-time heavyweight champion bobbing and weaving his head around with his fists clenched and a death stare? This is something we have to wait and find out.
Speaking of mental warfare, Tyson is a “student of war.” On many occasions, he has displayed his knowledge of the warriors from the past, like Achilles, Alexander, and Napoleon, to name a few. Mike Tyson once said, “I’ve read them all, I’ve studied them all. I know the art of fighting. I know the art of war. That’s why they feared me when I was in the ring. That’s what I was born for.” The mental edge Tyson possesses is not just about experience—it’s an aura only very few can rival.
3. ‘Iron’ Mike’s Boxing IQ Is Unmatched
Speaking of boxing IQ, Mike Tyson’s four-plus decades of boxing knowledge and experience are much superior to that of Jake Paul, who made his boxing debut only in 2020, to fight YouTuber AnEsonGib. Joe Rogan once stated, “He [Mike Tyson] has forgotten more about boxing than Jake Paul has ever remembered.” However, let’s not dismiss Paul’s candidature just yet.
Let’s discuss styles! Jake Paul is great with the fundamentals of boxing—solid jabs, sound footwork, defensive awareness, and efficient energy management, etc. He is fast and patient at the same time. Jake Paul is a great counterpuncher and packs tremendous power when he throws his signature overhand right.
Mike Tyson on the other hand, is known for his unique fighting style. Arguably the most effective style for a shorter fighter to dispatch taller opponents—the “Peek-a-Boo” style. Tyson is known for his tight stance, high guard, explosive power, relentless pressure, and aggression. If Mike Tyson manages to close the distance and explode on Jake Paul, he is 100% perfectly capable of knocking out ‘El Gallo’. This is where Jake Paul’s youth and his mid to long-range fighting style can come in handy. He is 3 inches taller than Tyson and has a 5-inch reach advantage.
So, are we certain Mike Tyson will win? Well, the oldest boxer sanctioned to fight in a professional boxing match is Saul Farah in 2023 when he was 59. Mike Tyson is 58. So let that sink in. But then again, this is Mike Tyson—a one-of-a-kind fighter, the likes of whom we’ve never seen before and likely never will again. Mike Tyson is definitely the better boxer, with layers and layers of boxing knowledge stored in his body as muscle memory. He is also a hard puncher. His age is the only factor holding him back from being the betting favorite stepping into this fight.
As Tyson once recalled, before his 1988 fight against Larry Holmes, Muhammad Ali said, “Get him for me.” Today, boxing fans around the world are echoing that sentiment, saying, “Get him for us, Mike.
