Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are gearing up to headline a monumental boxing event tomorrow night at the AT&T Stadium, Texas.
The pair will collide in a controversial heavyweight dustup live on Netflix, generating plenty of interest around the streaming platform’s first ever live boxing show.
Elsewhere on the card, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano – two icons of women’s boxing – will lock horns for the undisputed super lightweight crown in a mouthwatering rematch.
But the majority of eyeballs, of course, are expected to be on the main-event, with Mike Tyson coming out of retirement in a bid to end Jake Paul’s boxing career.
Pauli Malignaggi gives his honest take on Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson
Throughout the build-up to their eagerly anticipated showdown, several members of the boxing fraternity have expressed their concern for Tyson.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, for instance, has branded this mega sporting occasion as ‘disrespectful,’ insisting that it should not be taking place.
After all, ‘Iron Mike’ has not entered a professional boxing ring since his devastating sixth-round stoppage defeat to Kevin McBride back in 2005.
More than that, the 58-year-old was forced to postpone his contest with Paul – originally scheduled to take place in July – after suffering an ulcer flare-up.
And so, former world champion Paulie Malignaggi believes that Paul – who is nearly 30 years his opponent’s junior – should take care of business inside the distance.
If not, the American insists that there is a strong possibility of bout manipulation being at play, submerging the integrity of tomorrow’s clash into even murkier waters.
“I would honestly be suspicious of something being fixed if Tyson even goes the distance,” Malignaggi said on ProBox TV.
“This thing is dangerous for Mike. It’s funny because, every time Jake Paul gets a knockout, you have all the idiot crew that comes out and says it’s fixed. You can see the shots clearly landing – nothing’s fixed.
“But if Tyson actually goes the distance, I would think it’s more Jake keeping his feet off the gas pedal.”
Can Jake Paul knock out Mike Tyson?
There has been some speculation that the result of Paul vs Tyson is predetermined, with neither fighter being afforded the opportunity to knock the other out.
However, without the emergence of any concrete evidence, there is no way of saying for sure whether their bout will, in fact, go the distance.
But still, the chances of an emphatic finish are heavily reduced, with the pair going toe to toe for two-minute rounds as opposed to the traditional three-minute duration.
Both combatants, too, will be wearing 14 ounce gloves – four ounces more than what professional heavyweight boxers typically wear – which, again, makes a stoppage far more unlikely.