‘Blame Mike’ – absurdity and appeal of Tyson v Paul

If ever there was an example to perfectly illustrate the absurdity of Friday’s Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight, it is this:

On 17 January 1997, the Paul family in Ohio were celebrating the birth of blond-haired baby boy Jake.

Meanwhile, the cover of that month’s edition of the International Boxing Digest asked: “Is Tyson finished?”

‘Iron Mike’ was already past his prime – having been dismantled inside 11 rounds by Evander Holyfield two months earlier – but to answer the question, no, he was not finished.

Twenty-seven years later, Jake has grown into the self-proclaimed ‘Problem Child’ and faces a 58-year-old Tyson at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium.

Tyson and Paul will wear bigger gloves and contest shorter two-minute rounds in a contest which has, curiously, been sanctioned as a professional bout.

Organisers say it is not a gimmick, while the inclusion to the card of Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano – after their all-time classic in 2022 – adds credibility.

Critics argue the richest and most competitive fight in the female code should not be playing second fiddle to the Tyson-Paul carnival.

Yet the interest is undeniable, so much so that it convinced streaming powerhouse Netflix to broadcast the event live to a global subscriber list of 280 million.

A crowd of about 70,000 is expected at the stadium.

With boxing’s already fragile reputation being tested, will Tyson and Paul treat this as a ‘real’ fight? Should it even be happening? And what does the Netflix deal bring?

Paul’s venture into the sport – and his brashness – has been met with dismay by those who feel a YouTuber does not deserve the opportunity to dent former Tyson’s boxing legacy.

“If those critics want to be mad at someone then be mad at Mike Tyson because he’s the one still wanting to do this fight – he wanted it to be a pro fight,” Paul responds.

Though there is more at stake than a loss on a record.

For all the history, glory, rags-to-riches stories, boxing is – at its very essence – a gladiatorial sport where one punch, hesitation or lapse of concentration can prove fatal.

The fight was postponed in the summer when Tyson suffered a stomach ulcer; the Brooklyn fighter feared he might die.

While he was as menacing as ever in his interview with BBC Sport, Tyson was breathing heavily throughout. He insisted his health is “just fine”.

Equally, Paul is a boxing novice and, as the adage goes, the last thing to go is power.

Tyson has regularly shared training videos, with signs of the punching power he carried in his prime exhibited in short clips of him smashing punchbags and mitts.

Paul compares his boxing journey to a video game. To use another boxing cliche, you do not play boxing.

Two-time heavyweight world champion Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout in 2020 and is in impressive shape for a man nearing 60.

But there is no hiding from the fact that he has not fought professionally in more than 19 years. When he lost to Kevin McBride in 2005, Tyson said he had lost his heart and stomach for the sport and was only fighting to pay the bills.

“I am not going to disrespect the sport any more by losing to this calibre of fighter,” he said post-fight.

With Paul reported to be earning about £31m and Tyson’s purse half that, there are question marks around the motivations behind this match-up.

“Don’t follow the script, Mike,” was a comment left on a photo Tyson posted to Instagram recently.

Paul has faced repeated and unsubstantiated accusations that his fights are predetermined, but he did suffer a loss to Briton Tommy Fury in 2023. His other opponents – mostly former UFC fighters – have been picked wisely, and now he has chosen to face a man 31 years his senior in a winnable contest.

Observing Tyson’s demeanour in the week – particularly when he slapped Paul at Friday’s weigh-in – you get the sense he is approaching this as a “real” fight.

“Jake is in a lot of trouble,” Tyson said. “He can say whatever he wants. In the ring is where the party begins and he’s finally going to party with the big boys.”

Large groups – fuelled by Tyson nostalgia – gathered outside the Toyota Music Factory in Irving before fight-week festivities, wanting to get as close to him as they could as he got out of his car.

Social media influencers and stars from Netflix shows such Cobra Kai will attend on Friday, and a VIP package – valued at £1.5m – has been sold to a law firm. It includes photos with Tyson and Paul, a number of ringside tickets and a suite situated “flush against the ring”.

Amid the glitz of fight week, though, Taylor and Serrano have slipped into the background.

Their fight is being promoted by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, and co-founder Nakisa Bidarian says a Netflix deal was agreed before Tyson was chosen as the opponent.

“People aged from four, five, six years old, all the way to the late 70s and early 80s who were fans of Mike in the 1990s or 1980s. We think it’s a very unique combination,” Bidarian says. “We expect record numbers.”

The Netflix listing for Friday’s event, which includes the boxers in the cast list, reads: “This film is: Rousing, Exciting.”

The hope is the genre does not turn out to be a horror.