Chuck Liddell warns Jake Paul not to underestimate Mike Tyson: 'He still hits'
Former WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring heavyweight champion Mike Tyson (50-6-2) opened as a +300 underdog for his July 20 boxing match against Jake Paul (9-1) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Despite the fact that Tyson is 30 years older than Paul and hasn’t fought professionally in nearly two decades, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell still likes Tyson’s chances of beating the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
“When Tyson hits him, it’s over,” Liddell told TMZ. “By the way, the last thing to go [when a fighter’s skills diminish] is power. … He hits him, it’s over. You’ve seen Mike. He still hits. Keep covered up, man.”
Tyson created some social media buzz when he tweeted a video clip on Wednesday of himself going through some sparring drills on his X account. That prompted some to believe he's still a formidable opponent for Paul even though he's approaching 58.
The last time Tyson stepped into the ring was in November 2020 in an exhibition bout against former WBA, WBC, IBF, IBO, WBF and IBA light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. (66-10).
The two battled to an eight-round draw, though some media pundits said that match showed that Tyson had clearly lost a few steps from his heyday when he was running through the heavyweight division and knocking out most of his opponents.
Paul is coming off a first-round knockout win over Ryan Bourland two weeks ago. His most notable wins have come against ex-UFC fighters Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley and Nate Diaz. Tyson will be just the fourth traditional boxer that Paul has ever fought, joining Bourland, Andre August and Tommy Fury.
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