The boxing world received a huge letdown last week with the news that the highly-anticipated fight between legend Mike Tyson and Internet sensation and fighter Jake Paul was being postponed. The 57-year-old Tyson was deemed unfit to fight medically after an ulcer caused a medical emergency while Tyson was on a plane. Both sides agreed to reschedule the fight, which will no longer take place on July 20 as planned. But is there a possibility that this fight will be permanently canceled?
Such a huge scenario would be a huge loss for fans and oddsmakers alike. Many boxing betting sites were undoubtedly expecting a lot of activity on the Tyson-Paul fight. Keep in mind there are many betting markets in boxing outside of just who the ultimate winner will be. With the fight being streamed live on Netflix, it was bound to attract a big audience.
However, Tyson’s medical scare has thrown a wrench into those plans. While the former heavyweight champion pronounced himself fine after the incident on the plane, he’s only been cleared to do a minimal amount of training for several weeks. That has delayed Tyson’s build-up to the fight indefinitely. It has also raised questions about whether the 57-year-old will ever be fit enough to step into the ring in what would be the largest age gap ever seen in professional boxing.
In just a few days since the fight was delayed, some have questioned its validity and whether it should happen at all. In fairness, the fight has been officially sanctioned. But some have questioned whether it’s a good idea for an aging fighter like Tyson to spar with a fighter like Paul who’s at peak fitness.
“Mike Tyson is 58 years old. I don’t know what his health history is,” says UFC fighter Demetrious Johnson, an outspoken critic of the Tyson-Paul fight. “I think the biggest thing is you have someone who is 58 years old trying to push his body to the absolute limit.”
Johnson adds that there are plenty of other fighters who would happily step into the ring against Paul and give fans a compelling match. He doesn’t want to see the aging Tyson get hurt in what would be his first professional fight in nearly 20 years.
It’s worth noting that Tyson will have to get positive results on both heart and brain scans before he’s cleared to fight Paul. The issue with his ulcer isn’t the only potential hurdle to seeing this Tyson-Paul fight happening. It’s not yet clear when Tyson will be able to ramp up his training again and put the issue with his ulcer behind him. As a result, there is no timeline for when the postponed July 20 fight could take place.
Meanwhile, several other fighters have stepped forward to offer themselves as a potential replacement for Tyson to fight Paul. Roy Jones Jr., a former rival of Tyson’s, is one of those fighters. Tyson and Jones fought in an exhibition match a few years ago with the 55-year-old stating in a recent interview that he’d be happy to throw his hat in the ring against Paul if Tyson isn’t healthy enough to fight the YouTuber.
“Maybe I get myself in shape for that,” Jones said in the interview. “I never thought about doing it before, but with the situation of the fight, I think that’s a great idea and I’ll be ready and in shape because if the fight doesn’t happen, then the ideal guy to substitute in place of Mike Tyson to fight Jake Paul is something I have been thinking about.”
Amir Khan, who won a Silver Medal in boxing at the 2004 Olympics, has also named himself as a potential replacement for Tyson. Logan Paul, Jake’s brother also made a social media post suggesting that he could step in for Tyson and fight his brother.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Tyson’s health – combined with interest from several suitors to replace him – the Tyson-Paul fight could be in jeopardy of not happening. When the fight was postponed last week, Tyson released a statement saying he appreciated “everyone’s patience” while Paul said he supported the postponement, reiterating that he wants to fight Tyson. That should give boxing fans hope that this fight will happen sooner or later.
However, there are still plenty of obstacles that need to be overcome – primarily by Tyson – to make this fight happen. With lingering concerns about Tyson’s health, no new date in sight, and several fighters hoping to fill in for Tyson, we could be a long way from seeing him and Paul in the same ring. Unfortunately, it’s anything but certain that this fight will ever take place.