The boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul promises to be one of the events of the year in contact sports. The 58-year-old former heavyweight champion will return to a professional boxing ring almost 20 years later to face the former YouTuber, who has become a mass phenomenon in recent years because of the names he fights against. In recent weeks, Tyson has made public his great physical condition and the demands of his training, which has scared both Jake Paul and his girlfriend and family.
Gene Kilroy, Muhammad Ali’s trainer at the time, told ‘Iron Mike’ a few days ago that “this is the strongest version I’ve seen of you, and I’ve known you since you were 13”. Now it has been his 27-year-old rival – Tyson is 58 – who has been frightened after seeing the physique of the American fighter. “This is the baddest man on the planet, heavyweight, he’s an animal. He uploads stuff to Instagram and it scares me how good he is,” he told YouTube channel ‘Most Valuable Promotions’.
In fact, Jake Paul went further in his statements, revealing that even his mother is not confident about this fight, and will not watch for fear of seeing her son knocked out. “I have to be alert, he’s a terrifying man, he’s a killer and he’s uploading videos hurting his mates. My mom texts me that she can’t even see Tyson hit and she won’t watch the fight because she’s scared,” he said. There is a reason why ‘Iron Mike’ is one of the most feared boxers of all time.
My mother sends me messages that she won’t watch the fight because she’s scared
Jake Paul, próximo rival de Mike Tyson
Experience and muscle memory are key for his girlfriend
Jutta Leerdam, Paul’s partner, has also spoken about what scares her to think about Mike Tyson’s punching power. Although she is aware that the age difference is a factor in Jake’s favor, muscle memory and experience will be on ‘Iron Mike’s’ side. “It’s very scary. He’s very strong, I’ve seen videos of him, and although he’s a little older right now, if you’ve ever been able to do what he does, your body remembers it. The power he will have forever,” she began.
Five years ago, Jake wasn’t even training, he was partying
Jake Paul, próximo rival de Mike Tyson
The key for her lies in the fact that her partner has only been boxing for a short time compared to Tyson, who has been boxing for a lifetime. “Jake wasn’t even training five years ago, he was partying. That’s worse than being almost 60 years old and having been boxing all your life. He’s trained a lot, his body will remember that,” she concluded.