Is this going to be an exhibition or a real sanctioned fight? I hope the later and that JP gets a whoopin. He's a Johnny come lately Youtuber and doesnt even deserve a fight with Tyson. They say a fighter looses his speed first but his power last and it looks like Tyson still has his power. I hope JP gets to see that power.
From EPSN:
Mike Tyson is returning to the boxing ring to fight ... Jake Paul? Will this be a real fight? Should Tyson be fighting at all? Mike Coppinger and Marc Raimondi answer these questions and more.
www.espn.com
When Tyson faced Jones Jr., in November 2020, it was an exhibition where it was clear both all-time greats weren't throwing punches with bad intentions. And there's nothing wrong with that as long as the promotion isn't trying to fool fans that it's a real fight.
It's unclear if this will be a boxing match sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) or an exhibition, but Tyson will be 58 by fight night. And if Tyson-Jones ushered in one thing, it's a pattern of events like this one where it's totally ambiguous in the lead-up regarding exhibition vs. sanctioned fight.
In some cases, the exhibition turned out to be a fight where each man tried to hurt the other. Just look at
Vitor Belfort and Evander Holyfield in September 2021, an exhibition where Belfort TKO'd the legend in the opening round.
Then there was
the Logan Paul-Floyd Mayweather exhibition in the summer of 2021 where it was painfully obvious that neither man was throwing punches with the intent to inflict damage. After all, Paul and Mayweather were 35 pounds apart. That was anything but a real boxing match.
And when
Tyson Fury fought
Francis Ngannou in October, it was believed to be an exhibition for weeks, but
turned out to be a very real fight that counted on both fighters' records.
With Tyson's age, it would be surprising if this isn't another exhibition in the vein of Jake's older brother vs. Mayweather. Just a fun event with two massive names where they shake out in the ring. But it all remains to be seen.
-- Coppinger