Mike Tyson Drops BOMBSHELL After Dana White Hits Him With A HARSH Reality Check!
Mike Tyson did controversial Jake Paul fight ‘for fans’ despite pair being booed
Lennox Lewis has defended Mike Tyson’s decision to take on Jake Paul in a boxing ring, despite the former heavyweight champion coming up short against the YouTuber
Ex-undisputed heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis has come to the defense of his old adversary Mike Tyson’s recent bout with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
Tyson, who hung up his gloves in 2005, made a stunning comeback last month against ‘The Problem Child’. While many were quick to criticize the event beforehand, some within the boxing community genuinely believed Tyson could pull off an upset in Texas.
However, on fight night, the 58-year-old couldn’t turn back time as his age was evident in the ring. Despite not achieving a knockout, Paul emerged victorious via unanimous decision. The event itself was a massive success. Netflix released the viewership figures for the heavyweight showdown the day after the match, revealing that 60 million households tuned in. It reached a peak of 65 million live streams.
But Paul received a lot of flak for taking on ‘Iron Mike’, while fans inside of AT&T Stadium were heard booing during and after the fight. Yet Lewis has offered a slightly different perspective. Although he defends parts of the contest, he insists that the upcoming clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will not be tarnished by the influencer boxing scene.
“To me you’re talking about different events – you’re talking about an event for fans of Tyson, to actually see him back in the ring, and fans of YouTuber, to see him in the ring with Tyson,” said Lewis. “At the end of the day you’ve got a big event that a lot of people were happy to attend, and they felt OK. The boxing purist didn’t feel OK, they didn’t feel it was the right thing to do. They were two different events.”
Tyson is unlikely to compete in another professional boxing match after losing to Paul, although an appearance in an exhibition bout can’t be ruled out. Paul, meanwhile, is set to continue his blossoming career and edge closer to a world title shot. A rematch with Tommy Fury, who is the only man to beat Paul, could be on the cards for the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
Lennox Lewis (center) has defended Tyson’s fight with Paul (
Image: Al Bello/Getty Images)
Lewis, who famously defeated Tyson in 2002, subsequently shifted focus to the upcoming heavyweight title fight in Riyadh.
He added: “Then you’ve got the real event which is the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world, where the two best fighters in the world actually meet and box and we can actually see who is the best out of the two, and who is the king of heavyweight boxing at the moment.
“That type of boxing doesn’t tarnish great boxing such as Usyk and Fury, because you’ve got two different types of eras and things going on. You’ve got entertainment and you’ve got real good fighting with drama.”
