This rather surprising news broke last week when the YouTuber turned boxer Paul and the long-retried former heavyweight legend Tyson revealed that they had agreed terms to fight on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
It has not yet been confirmed whether this will be a legitimate and fully sanctioned professional boxing match or an exhibition contest.
Paul, 27, was last out when he took on Ryan Bourland in Puerto Rico and won by a first round knockout. Tyson’s last fight came in 2005 when he took back-to-back defeats and decided to leave the sport having once been the younger every heavyweight world champion.
He has since focused on business in interests but did fight Roy Jones Jr – then 51 – in November 2020 in an exhibition match in what many saw as a distasteful cash grab.
Speaking at a lunch on Monday in London hosted by the Boxing Writers’ Club in respect of his Hall of Fame career, Froch got to give his views via Boxing Scene on the news of the Paul versus Tyson fight.
“That clown, f****** Jake Paul, fighting Mike Tyson. I’m gonna go on my [Froch On Fighting YouTube] channel and absolutely hammer Jake Paul very soon. Which I’ve done a few times. I’m gonna really hammer him.
“I’m also gonna give Mike Tyson a bit of stick. He’s always such a big name he’ll always be able to earn his own money, Mike Tyson – he doesn’t need to jump in with Jake Paul.
“And he’ll lose the fight, whether he means to lose or whether he actually gets beaten by someone 25, 26 years old – he’s nearly 60.”
Froch went on further to slam the fight and hopes that Tyson sees sense and doesn’t go ahead with it.
“It’s so disrespectful to our sport, to put somebody like Mike Tyson, who’s an icon of the sport, in with a performing clown like Jake Paul, who can’t fight.
“We saw he can’t fight against a novice in Tommy Fury; they come along and earn fortunes because they’ve got children following them. This demographic that follows Jake Paul – it’s not realistic.
They can make money from it, but to fight Mike Tyson is disrespectful; it’s disgraceful. I’ll be putting him right – saying that. It’s wrong.
“I hope Mike Tyson sees sense. He’s very articulate at times, and he gives some good interviews and represents himself very well, but when you’re nearly 60 and you’re in that mindset, you don’t wanna be getting in the ring with a 20-something year old.”