Mike Tyson Looking SHARP in Training
Mike Tyson has released more training footage ahead of his bout with Jake Paul, and it seems there’s still something left in him.
Despite being nearly 60 years old, the former ‘baddest man on the planet’ showed that technique never leaves you as he hammers powerful hooks into his sparring partner’s body, folding the poor guy over against the ropes.
If he replicates that in the ring on November 15th, it’ll make for a very interesting contest. If he doesn’t, we need to fear for his health.
How Seriously Should We Take Mike Tyson?
I was a huge Tyson fan back in the day (I’m seriously showing my age there), watching him tear through the heavyweight division in the late 80’s. Even when he came back in the 90’s, he was a serious force.
But in the end, the lifestyle caught up with him.
By the late 90’s he was as good as done. The ferocity that he had in the 80’s and 90’s was fading. By the time he faced Lennox Lewis in 2002, it was a shadow of the Tyson we’d seen before. The lifestyle had caught up with him. The hunger was leaving him. He was battered that night, but he was forgiven because it was against Lennox Lewis, the best heavyweight of the era. There was no real shame in a loss to Lewis.
He stumbled on, but I distinctly remember the Danny Williams fight.
In many ways, it was heartbreaking. Danny Williams was a decent domestic level boxer. He was game, but limited. If it wasn’t for the absolute lack of heavyweight talent depth in the early 2000’s, he’d never have reached the levels he did.
Williams beat up an ageing, slowing and unfit Mike Tyson, knocking him out in the 4th round. As falls from grace go, it was the biggest I’d seen. Watching Mike Tyson lose to Danny Williams was like watching Real Madrid lose to Stockport County. He fought one more time, retiring in the 6th against Kevin McBride. He admitted the hunger was no longer there. He was fighting for money, that’s all.
That was 19 years ago. Tyson looked tired, old and slow then – how will he fare now?
Tyson Not Lived the Life
Between his cannabis use, weight gain and alcoholism, Tyson has hardly kept himself in tip-top shape. Sure, he got himself fit to fight an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr, but it was seen as a spectacle rather than a serious boxing bout.
My concern is that for a round or two, we might see flashes of the old Iron Mike, but there’s a reason why most professional athletes retire by 40. You slow down, the reflexes aren’t there, the punch resistance fades and the gas tank shrinks. He has a chance if he gets Jake Paul out of there early. The longer it goes on, the more you have to fear for Mike Tyson and his health.
I’m hopeful Mike Tyson beats Jake Paul, but I’m concerned for him if he doesn’t.
I’ve heard some people describe this as a no-lose fight for Tyson, because if he loses he can point to the fact that he’s nearly 60. I disagree – Mike Tyson can lose a lot more than a boxing match here… He can lose his health, and that’s the worst thing to lose. We’ve already had this bout cancelled once because of a health concern for Tyson.
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