Don’t be fooled into thinking the Tyson sparring on the pads is same Iron Mike in his devastating prime
MIKE TYSON was one of the most devastating heavyweights of all time. Watching social media posts of him hitting the pads you might think he still is. You would be wrong.
Give me 10 days with a novice and I would have them looking sensational on the pads, but that would not mean a thing in the ring.
Everything changes when you get hit. What we are not seeing is Tyson in sparring. We can tell absolutely zero about his condition from the pads (below).
He has kept himself in reasonable shape, but that is not the same thing as being fighting fit and able to take punches.
As people get older punch resistance disappears and never comes back. We all get old. We are not the same physically as we were in our youth. I’ve seen too many examples of guys who can take shots in their twenties who can’t in their thirties.
Even in his prime Tyson (in action against Donovan Ruddock in 1991, below) wasn’t the same fighter in the later rounds that he was in the first six. He looked shot in his last fight against Kevin Mcbride 19 years ago. He hasn’t got any better.
I recall how fantastic he looked on the pads with Don Turner before his fight against Francois Botha in 1999. Tyson was coming off an 18-month lay-off after biting Evander Holyfield’s ear.
He could barely lay a glove on Botha before catching him with an uppercut in the fifth. Even though Jake Paul is little more than a white-collar fighter, he can wallop.
We don’t even know if we can trust what we are seeing here. This whole thing could be choreographed.
There are questions to be asked of the relevant authorities in Texas for sanctioning this in the first place, given the dangers inherent in allowing a 57-yearold man to fight in these circumstances. It’s shameful.
Maybe the outcome is already arranged. I don’t know what to think. I can’t see how this is a legitimate contest in any way, shape or form. It does not feel real to me.
I get it. It will create huge interest and generate big money. And there is no fool like an old fool. Even so I’m not sure why Tyson is getting involved. Maybe he needs the cash.
Assuming it is authentic, Tyson has a chance in the first three rounds. If he hits Paul on the chin it would be over. But if Paul stays out of the way, uses his jab and refuses to engage, he’s in a strong position.
But to what end I have no idea.