The long-awaited boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul could be extremely disappointing according to Iron Mike’s former sparring partner, with him claiming it may be a “glorified sparring session”.
Jake Paul is set to battle Mike Tyson in Netflix’s first-ever living boxing event on November 15 and the controversial fight has become the talk of the combat sports world since its announcement.
While many are concerned for Tyson’s health, especially considering the fight was delayed after the 58-year-old suffered an ulcer flare-up, some believe he could pull off an upset against the upstart Paul.
Joe Egan, Tyson’s former sparring partner, is one of those believers, but expressed doubt that Mike even wants to go all-out at the risk of “seriously hurting” The Problem Child.
Speaking with talkSPORT, Egan warned the bout would be a “glorified sparring session.”
According to Egan, when Tyson returned to the ring in 2020 to battle Roy Jones Jr, he hurt Roy with a body shot and sunk him.
Jake Paul is facing Mike Tyson on November 15.
“Mike knew he could hurt Roy Jones. Anybody that Mike hits is going to hurt, probably knockout as well but he carried Roy Jones. I never believed Mike Tyson could carry anybody because when I sparred him at Catskill, every punch he threw was with bad intentions. He was a vicious, ferocious, savage heavyweight,” Egan explained.
“To see him mellow with age is wonderful and to see what he did with Roy Jones is incredible.”
Jake Paul KO’d former NBA player Nate Robinson on the undercard that night and believes Tyson pulling his punches made him confident.
“You’ve got to admire him for getting in the ring with Mike Tyson, but I don’t think Mike will go full force on him. I don’t believe that because if Mike went full force on Jake Paul, he could seriously hurt him, never mind about the age. Mike will have lost a lot of speed with age but he won’t have lost his power,” the insider claimed.
Egan isn’t the only one convinced that Tyson could KO Paul if an opening presents itself. Joe Rogan shared a similar sentiment on his podcast, noting that Tyson “can still knock your f**king head into another dimension if he can catch you.”
We’ll have to see how the contest plays out once the two boxers finally meet in the ring this November.