why Tyson-Paul is an official fight

Living boxing legend, Mike Tyson will face Jake Paul on the night of Friday to Saturday in Dallas in the United States. 19 years after his last official fight and despite the age of the former heavyweight world champion, the Texas athletic commission validated this confrontation which will therefore be included in the lists of both men.

A pugilistic parody for some and a real event for others, the boxing fight organized on the night of this Friday, November 15 to Saturday, November 16 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul is causing reactions. If more than 250 million people will have access to it via the Netflix platform, the confrontation has sparked numerous criticisms. And for good reason, the Texas Athletic Commission made it official. Concretely, the result of this match will be officially counted in the professional results of the two fighters.

Nothing illogical for Jake Paul, for whom this will be the twelfth professional fight (10-1) and perhaps one of the toughest behind the one lost to Tommy Fury despite duels against UFC champions Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva. A slightly more surprising choice for Mike Tyson whose last official fight dates back 19 years when he lost in June 2005 against Kevin McBride and who is now 58 years old.

A technical background favorable to Tyson

Initially scheduled for July, this duel was postponed for a few months due to a stomach ulcer for Mike Tyson. Not without extensive medical examinations, the fight will take place this Friday despite the 31-year gap between Jake Paul and his elder. On paper, Mike Tyson with his 50 victories (for 6 defeats and 2 no-contests) has a great technical advantage and that could be enough to win against an opponent whose first pro fight dates back to January 2020.

“We will quickly realize the scenario but be careful, with guys of this weight and size, it looks bad. Even if Jake Paul is not a great boxer and comes from the lower light heavyweight category, he strike despite everything and it can hurt”, analyzes Jean-Philippe Lustyk, one of the reference journalists for boxing in France, for RMC Sport. “And then we know that at 58 years old, we are vulnerable. There is a risk, it is obvious, there is a risk for Tyson. There were, nevertheless, medical examinations since the Texas commission recognizes This fight is why this fight is official.”

Tyson still looks good physically

But if Mike Tyson leaves with a technical advantage against Jake Paul, the weight of the years could catch up with him. Without an official fight since 2005, the man who became the youngest world champion in history in 1986 has not set foot in the ring since his exhibition against Roy Jones Jr in November 2020. Four years ago and without intense preparation, the ex-heavyweight king was content with a fight without a winner against another retiree. Not sure, therefore, that he will hold up physically even if his abs looked rather good during the weigh-in.

“I’ve seen his training, he really has the speed. At a glance, of course I think he’s going to be a little slower. And then obviously he’s a little lacking in experience because that It’s been almost 25 years (since 2006, editor’s note) since he last fought,” analyzed Jérôme Le Banner, French combat sports legend and former kickboxing world champion with RMC Sport. “But hey, anyway… I don’t think it’s going to be a blow for nothing.”

“Adapted” rules to balance the combat

As is often the case with heavyweights, a single blow can change the fight so Mike Tyson has every chance if he manages to touch Jake Paul. But in order to slightly reduce the physical gap between the two men, this fight has special rules. First the number of rounds since the two opponents will be satisfied with eight rounds compared to twelve when a world belt is at stake.

In the same way, and this way Mike Tyson’s cardio will be less tested, each round will only last two minutes compared to three usually among the pros. Finally, Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will wear fourteen ounce gloves compared to the usual eight or ten ounces, in order to reduce the power of the blows.

“Obviously, the gloves used will be much larger than the usual competition gloves and therefore this has the consequence of hurting less, quote unquote,” underlined Jean-Philippe Lustyk. “Because, the smaller or more compact a glove is and the more effective the blows are, the more it hurts and the more painful it can be. There, for various and varied reasons, they will box with big gloves.”