For better or worse, Jake Paul has brought a lot of attention to boxing since he decided to lace up his gloves for the first time. But for all the criticism he faced while mowing down a laundry list of ex-UFC fighters, he was still facing high level athletes from combat sports.
Most of them were at worst at the tail end of their careers and even Anderson Silva, who was 47 at the time, just styled on a professional boxer when he defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. before facing Paul in 2022. Lately, Paul shifted his attention towards opponents with actual boxing experience, although neither Andre August or Ryan Bourland made it past the first round with him but both fighters had real records in the sport.
But just days after he demolished Bourland inside three minutes, Paul announced his next fight for July where he’ll face a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, who was known as one of the most ferocious heavyweights of his era but his last professional fight took place all the way back in 2005 and he hasn’t set foot in the ring since an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.
UFC welterweight Matt Brown, who has largely supported Paul in his boxing endeavors, feels like fighting Tyson at this age really is a step back and the wrong move for his career.
“I think that’s probably the biggest thing here. It’s a lose-lose for him,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Obviously, he’s going to get a bag. We’re all going to watch it. I’m sure Netflix is paying him good. We’re all going to watch it, we’re going to talk about it. He’s getting that. But it’s a lose-lose in actual fighting. You can’t lose to a 60-year-old man and you also can’t beat a 60-year-old man. It’s a lose-lose. It’s garbage to me.
“Jake obviously, he’s doing that because he wants to be in that position where everybody wants to see him get knocked out and that’s why they’re going to watch, he wants to be the heel but it’s a 60-year-old man and so he’s probably going to be able to pull it out. That’s an obvious storyline. We know the plot here. We know the narrative. It’s not Tyron Woodley where we’re like if Jake’s a decent boxer, he’ll probably win but it’s a f******* great athlete he’s going against that never boxed. This is just f****** garbage. This is just straight f******* garbage.”
Paul’s intentions might be clear, but Brown can’t help but wonder what exactly Tyson is getting out of this?
While the former heavyweight champion famously plummeted to the depths during the tail end of his career and then fell into financial ruin after blowing a massive fortune, Tyson has really turned things around in recent years.
He launched a popular one-man show where he told stories from his career. He’s appeared in several films and even struck a deal for a cartoon series based around his likeness. Tyson even started his own podcast where he welcomed guests from all walks of life including numerous prominent fighters.
But now he’ll put everything on hold to get in shape to face Paul in a boxing match in July and Brown just doesn’t understand why he’s doing it.
“I’m surprised Mike even took it,” Brown said. “That’s what I’m most surprised about. I don’t know what Mike is thinking here. What makes him want to do it. I don’t think he’s hurting for money. I don’t think he has a huge urge to fight. He talks about it all the time. He doesn’t want to be that guy no more. It’s very odd that he’s taking the fight. That’s the odd part to me.”
Brown adamantly defends Paul getting involved in more marquee fights against non-boxers like the ones he’s had in the past with Nate Diaz or even Ben Askren, but he just doesn’t see the need to face off with a man only a few years away from being considered senior citizen.
If Paul wants to pursue a matchup against a big name that poses a risk but doesn’t come from the world of boxing, Brown has the perfect suggestion in mind and it’s not the fight with Tyson.
“I’m all about the sideshows,” Brown said. “I’d love to see him fight more sideshows. Go fight f****** Mike Perry. I think that would be awesome. I think that’s who he should be fighting. Grab Mike Perry, get Mike Perry a bag. He’s obviously a f****** star in BKFC now, everybody’s talking about him. He would make a great promo guy.
“We can name a lot of guys like this that would be a perfect matchup, sideshow matchups. A lot of these. Mike Tyson is not it. Leave the guy alone.”
As much as he doesn’t want to see it happen, Brown can only hold out hope that Tyson is taking this opportunity seriously and he’s gearing up for a real fight with a chance to take Paul’s head off.
“It’s just garbage to me,” Brown said. “Again, it really surprised Mike Tyson took this fight. I’m not sure what his motivation is.
“But what I hope for just like I’m sure everybody hopes for, is that Mike Tyson has that young, 20-year-old rage, gets on some f****** steroids, does some trim, some cheque drops, and he goes in there and bites f****** Jake Paul’s ear and knocks him the f*** out and Jake Paul never wants to box an old man again.”