Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul has been 2024’s most polarizing fight from the moment it was first announced.
But don’t count Tyson Fury among those opposing the Netflix showdown. Far from it.
“Only fighters who are not getting paid and not getting laid, they’re the fighters who are jealous people, negative people who are not making any money and are not set to gain anything from this fight featuring Jake Paul and Mike Tyson,” Fury said recently on The MMA Hour. “I think is fantastic. I think I think it’s created a lot of money.
“One, for Texas, selling out all them tickets, and that means drinks, alcohol, food and beverage, everything for the local area, big influx in dollars being spent in the local area. And then you’ve got obviously all of Mike’s teams are being fed and all of Jake’s teams being fed out of it, so there’s a lot of mouths being fed, a lot of peoples’ rents are being paid, so I don’t know what’s to be negative about it. I’m over the moon for it. Looking forward to it. I get to see the legend Mike Tyson back in the ring in my era. Fantastic. I already saw one, him against Roy Jones, it was fantastic. So I get to see him again live and exclusive as an adult? What a treat.”
Fury, 35, is boxing’s reigning WBC heavyweight champion. He faces Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday in a long-awaited unification match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the winner will be crowned as boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999. Fury also happens to be named after Tyson.
Much has been made about Tyson’s age, as the boxing Hall of Famer will be 58 years old by the time he fights the 27-year-old Paul on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The bout will be contested over eight two-minute rounds and count on both Tyson and Paul’s professional records. Tyson has not competed since a 2020 exhibition bout against fellow Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. and has not won professionally since 2003. Paul, on the hand, has been active over the past several years, beating UFC stars Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley (x2), and Ben Askren in pro boxing contests. Paul most recently scored first-round knockouts of journeymen boxers Andre August and Ryan Bourland.
While many within the pugilistic world have been critical or dismissive of what Paul — and to a lesser extent, his brother Logan — are doing in the sport, Fury sees things differently.
“Him and his brother have done fantastic,” Fury said. “I know we’ve got a rivalry going on with Tommy [Fury] and that, but I’ve got to speak it how I see it — Jake and Logan have done absolutely fantastic for themselves, from becoming young kids to being multimillionaires and YouTubers and wrestlers and boxers and everything else, and entertaining. So I know they’ve got a lot of haters and stuff, however I’m not one of them. I’m a fan and I support it.
“I support people going in there making lots of millions of dollars out of boxing, my sport. And it only makes it better for young people who don’t get paid, because more people will see the fight and be interested in it, and then you know what? I’m going to watch a young kid who I don’t even know [on the card], it might be a good fight, so more eyes to the game are better.”
Tyson is currently slotted as a betting underdog against Paul, and many prominent figures within boxing have expressed concern for Tyson’s health and safety, most notably three-time Fury opponent Deontay Wilder. Regardless, Fury still believes in his childhood hero.
“Listen, if Mike Tyson hits anybody, I don’t care if he’s 90, he’s going to knock them out cold, isn’t he?” Fury said. “He’s ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. He’s the baddest man on the planet. And Jake Paul, obviously he’s very experienced now, he’s had a lot of tough fights, he’s had a lot of good fights, and he’s probably a quarter of the man’s age.
“But obviously I have to back Mike Tyson. I’m named after the legend and I back him, as he always back me. I’m backing Mike for the knockout. Come on, Mike.”
