Should Fans Be Concerned For Mike Tyson?

Some people are concerned about Mike Tyson ahead of his megafight on July 20 against Jake Paul. That includes Deontay Wilder, who brought some notable points about Tyson returning to the ring after 20 years.

“His power may have not left completely, but you still need to set it up, your stamina needs to be a certain way, or it’s going to look like a clown show.” Said Wilder in an interview with Sportsbook Review.

While some fighters are picking Tyson to pull out the victory over Paul (9-1), which includes Lennox Lewis, Wilder’s comments bring up some interesting questions about “Iron Mike’s” well-being heading into the fight. But are those concerns valid? Why should fans worry and why should they just shake it off?

Should Mike Tyson Go Through With The Fight?

First, let’s start with why Mike Tyson shouldn’t continue with the fight. For one, he’s 57 years old. Compare that to Jake Paul, who’s 30 years his junior. Tyson also hasn’t fought since June 11, 2005, with his last fight being a loss against Kevin McBride.

Ring rust is a thing in boxing, with fighters not firing off blazing, hard punches like they used to. Take Hughie Fury as an example in his fight against Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko. When the fight progressed, Fury’s punches and stamina started lagging, leaving him open to pummelings from his opponent. For Hughie Fury, that was his first fight in three years, leaving him looking weak.

Why Fans Shouldn’t Be Concerned

One reason why fans shouldn’t be concerned is Mike Tyson (50-6, 2 NC) is playing head games with Jake Paul. First, he baits the former YouTube star into believing he’s scared of Paul. Then, he advises Paul not to “back out of the fight.” Sending contradicting messages is an incredible way to play mind games. It confuses the fighter on their abilities, questioning whether they can actually pull this off.

There’s also this training video from Mike Tyson himself.