Former WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder has raised serious concerns about the upcoming exhibition match between boxing legend Mike Tyson and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. The match will take place on July 20 in Arlington. By the time of the bout, Tyson will be 58 years old, and it will be almost 20 years since his last professional match.
Tyson will be risking his stellar record against 9-1 Paul since the match will be formally sanctioned. The regulations will be changed so that the two compete in larger 14-ounce gloves rather than 10 ounce ones. Also, there will be over eight two-minute rounds rather than three-minute ones.
However, Wilder criticizes the decision of the Texas commission to sanction the match, citing Tyson’s lack of recent activity in the ring.
Expressing his dismay, Wilder told Sportsbook Review: “I think it’s bad the commission has licensed Mike Tyson because he hasn’t been active in 20 years. So they should not just licence him because of who he is, that’s how people get hurt, god forbid he gets hurt.”
Wilder highlights the possibility of boxers being hit in vulnerable areas, leading to catastrophic outcomes such as comas.
He continued: “People can get hit in the wrong place and at the wrong time, there’s lots of examples where guys have been hit into a coma. It’s easy to do. He’s too old for this. At the end of the day, no one gives a f*** about Mike. We can talk about the pros and cons, but at the end of the day, they don’t give a f***.”
Wilder raises questions about the motivations behind sanctioning the bout, suggesting that the commission may be neglecting Tyson’s well-being for the sake of spectacle. He believes that if the commission truly cared about Tyson, they would not allow him to participate in such a high-risk match.
He stated: “I don’t think anyone cares about Mike because if they did they wouldn’t sanction the fight. They may say they’ve done tests and all that, OK, but as long as you’re willing to suffer the consequences if something bad goes wrong.”
In his 10 matches, Paul has only suffered a single defeat—to Tommy Fury by a split decision in Saudi Arabia last year.
On the other hand, Tyson’s most recent bout in the ring was a 2020 exhibition match that resulted in a draw with Roy Jones Jr. His boxing career came to an official end in 2005 after suffering crushing losses to Kevin McBride and Danny Williams.
However, Wilder believes that Tyson losing to someone like Paul would be much more saddening than his previous two defeats.
Wilder said: “I don’t want to see it to be honest. I don’t want to see one of my legends fight a YouTuber. If he goes in there and he knocks Mike out, that’s going to tarnish the reputation of Mike.”
“I don’t want the last thing I remember of him is him getting knocked out by a YouTuber. The last thing you do, that’s what people remember you by.”
Deontay Wilder’s concerns reflect the broader debate surrounding the upcoming match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. While the spectacle may attract attention, Wilder emphasizes the potential risks to Tyson’s safety and legacy.
