Mike Tyson and Jake Paul shared the identical card in late 2020.
It has been five years to the day since ‘Iron Mike’ entered the boxing ring for the primary time in well over a decade.
Tyson made his comeback in an exhibition match against fellow legend Roy Jones Jr., which headlined a Triller event on the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ex-undisputed heavyweight king and the previous four-division world champion weren’t the one big names on the lineup.
Before their eight-round contest, the polarizing Jake Paul had his second fight as knowledgeable against ex-NBA star Nate Robinson.
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Which fights and knockouts would you rank in Jake Paul’s top 5 boxing moments? 🥊
Mike Tyson insisted boxing needed Jake Paul after he KO’d Nate Robinson
Paul is widely considered the leading name in the continued crossover boxing craze, having transitioned to the ring and headlined a variety of highly watched events.
For Tyson’s comeback, Paul unsurprisingly needed to accept the co-main event spot, but he still made essentially the most of the eyeballs that were on the undercard.
Paul brutally knocked out Robinson in round two, giving combat sports fans a primary real glimpse at his power and potential within the ring.
The result did little to persuade boxing traditionalists that YouTube or celebrity boxing was anything but a farce. Tyson, nonetheless, believed the game actually needed fighters like Paul to combat the UFC’s rise.
“My ego says so many things but my reality is, they assist boxing a lot,” Tyson said on the post-event press conference.
“Boxing owes these guys — YouTube boxers — some respect.
“Give them some belts because these guys make boxing alive. Boxing was just about a dying sport. The UFC was kicking our butt,” he added.
“Now we got these YouTubers, 20 million subscribers? Boxing is coming back because of these YouTube boxers.”
Tyson would go on to fight Paul himself 4 years on, with the pair achieving historical viewing figures in a controversial fight that served as Netflix’s entry into boxing in 2024.
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Jake Paul will throw down with Anthony Joshua over five years later
It has been quite the ride for Paul since he slept Robinson in devastating fashion.
After defeating the ex-NBA star, the YouTuber-turned-pugilist turned his attention to fighting past-their-prime mixed martial arts veterans, increase his record with wins over the likes of Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Nate Diaz.
Paul’s detractors have long called for him to face a legitimate boxing threat, and that will definitely be the case in Miami on December 19.
After the cancellation of his fight against Gervonta Davis resulting from fresh allegations of domestic abuse against the WBA lightweight champion, Paul will fight Anthony Joshua in knowledgeable heavyweight match.
What likelihood do you give Jake Paul of beating Anthony Joshua?
On condition that Joshua is a former two-time unified world champion and isn’t too far faraway from his prime years, the likes of UFC CEO Dana White are predicting Paul’s haters to finally get what they’ve been waiting for: a knockout loss.