The Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight nearly had a different opponent for the YouTuber-turned-professional-boxer. Paul recently revealed the alternate choice for his upcoming boxing match and why this individual was ultimately passed on.
During a September episode of his BS with Jake Paul podcast, Paul admitted to guest Steve-O — one of the Jackass franchise’s many cast members — that British professional boxer Tommy Fury was approached for the Netflix fight. However, Paul claimed Fury demanded too much money. “Netflix was like, ‘All right, go out and talk to three different opponents,’ and we talked to Tommy Fury and Mike Tyson,” Paul said (transcript via Dexerto). “Tommy had a big ego, was trying to get paid way more than he was worth, and he doesn’t understand his value. His dad is basically his manager. His dad doesn’t understand the boxing business and the state of it currently. And they didn’t understand that this would be one of the most viewed fights ever. So, they were saying no while Mike Tyson was saying yes, and we’ve got it figured out with Mike.”
The topic was raised when Steve-O echoed the concerns of others about the fight being a lose-lose scenario for Paul. As Steve-O noted, if Paul wins, it’s not impressive that the 27-year-old Paul beat the 58-year-old Tyson. Conversely, it could be embarrassing if the significantly older Tyson beats Paul. “I see it from the public’s perception. Yeah, it comes across as a lose-lose, for sure, and I see that angle for sure and I’m definitely going to have to deal with that. But the way I rationalize it is it being just a win-win-win for me, personally,” Paul said in response. “Getting to fight Mike Tyson, that’s such an honor, and being in there with one of the three biggest names in boxing history — Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson — is such a win, and man, fighting in front of 90,000 people is a dream come true.”
Steve-O is far from the only person to point out the likelihood of a Paul victory. Joe Rogan recently said a Tyson defeat would be disappointing if it was a knockout victory for Paul. However, Rogan also noted that there were mistakes Paul could make that Tyson might be able to take advantage of.
The Paul vs Tyson fight is scheduled to stream live on Netflix on November 15, 2024. The fight was initially planned for July 23 but had to be rescheduled after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up. There have been concerns about the fight being canceled because of Tyson’s health, but both fighters are currently confident that their showdown will proceed as scheduled.
As far as a Paul vs Fury match goes, the two previously faced each other in 2023 in a match that Fury won by a split decision. A rematch between the two has been discussed, with Fury challenging Paul to an MMA fight as recently as late September 2024. For now, though, all eyes are on the Paul vs Tyson fight, which, as Paul noted, has the potential to set new viewership records.
Published: Sep 20, 2024 08:37 pm