Eddie Hearn feels disillusioned about the news of the upcoming exhibition fight between the retired 58-year-old former unified heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and the YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul on July 20th on Netflix at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Hearn thinks it’s bad taste for the 27-year-old Jake to be fighting Tyson with him old, retired, and not having fought since 2005.
Although Tyson took part in an eight-round exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, that fight was more of a ballet than a true exhibition match, so no one got hurt, and it was scored a draw because no meaningful punches were landed.
Intrigued Yet Disillusioned
“My opinions on Jake Paul and Mike Tyson might not make me very popular, but I’m also not going to lie to you,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV, giving his thoughts on the exhibition fight between YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul and 58-year-old former unified heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on July 20th.
“The best way I can describe it to you is, it’s a big event, I get it. People are going to want to tune in. Casuals are going to be fascinating, and Jake Paul does a great job. But you can’t expect me to conform,” said Hearn.
Tyson is training hard, looking fast and powerful in his early preparation for this match. If this is a fight where he’s not pulling his punches like he did against Roy Jones, he could knock Jake out in the first or second round.
He’s a much bigger puncher than the light-hitting Tommy Fury, who has no talent or power whatsoever. That’s the biggest name on Jake’s resume as a boxer, and he lost to him.
“I heard, ‘Eddie Hearn is just a hater. Why is he talking about other shows?’ Because I get asked about it. What do you want me to do? Say, ‘I’m not talking about that.’ I’m just going to give you my opinion,” said Hearn. “Wild, freaky, wacky, big show, big interest, you can build a really good storyline.
Not a Hater, Just a Critic
“I’m not a hater. I’m just telling you, as a hardcore fight fan, that I find it very sad that one of my all-time great heroes, a legend of the sport, has to fight at 58 against a YouTuber, who will probably beat him. It doesn’t mean I won’t tune in at some point, I won’t watch a press conference, I won’t because I do. I get it.
“I’m one of the hardcore lot that we always talk about. There’s no way that any fight fan is a fan of that fight, but people will watch it, and that is the name of the game,” said Hearn about the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul exhibition.
