Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren has given his reaction to the recent news that Jake Paul’s showdown with Mike Tyson will be a professional contest, that will be forever stained onto each of their professional records.
Paul and Tyson announced their fight a couple months ago but there was uncertainty as to whether the encounter would be an official bout or an exhibition, with many fans expecting the latter due to the obvious difficulties in licensing the two-time heavyweight champion.
However, shockwaves and revolt has spread amongst the boxing community after confirmation that Paul-Tyson would indeed involve the jeopardy of impacting on Tyson’s 50-6 record, almost two decades since his last professional outing – an underwhelming stoppage loss to Ireland’s Kevin McBride.
In an interview with talkSPORT, Queensberry’s Frank Warren offered his thoughts on the news, but shifted the blame away from the fighters and the sport as a whole and instead condemning the Texas Boxing Commission and the potential viewers.
“I am a big fan of Jake Paul as a promoter and Nakisa [Bidarian], his business partner, they are very smart operators and they obviously see this as a fight that will generate public interest and obviously money. But, let’s get it right, Mike Tyson is 58 years of age and he shouldn’t be fighting, it is as simple as that.
“If it was an exhibition, you would half get away with that but the fact that good old Texas have basically licensed a 58-year-old to fight – what does anybody need to say about that? Anyone with an ounce of brains knows what that is, it is ridiculous.
“You can’t take Texas seriously and I have promoted in Texas many, many years ago but it is crazy [that they have allowed this]. What will happen is – for one round you are going to get vintage Mike Tyson throwing bombs – then [after that] he will be a 58-year-old guy in the ring with a younger fella. We know that he can punch, he is a big puncher and it is what it is.”
“People will watch it and that, at the end of the day, is the reason that both of the guys are stepping into the ring and making money from it. You can’t blame boxing for that, that is not boxing’s fault, it is the people who will buy [or watch] it’s fault.”
Paul-Tyson will take place on July 20th live on Netflix where they will fight eight two-minute rounds and wear 14oz gloves, as opposed to the usual 10oz gloves, with no headgear or ‘no knockdown’ rule in place.
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