Jake Paul’s upcoming fight against Mike Tyson has sparked significant controversy due to Tyson’s age and past dominance, but former UFC champion Tyron Woodley believes Tyson still possesses the skills and power to potentially knock Paul out.
Jake Paul scored a sixth-round knockout of Mike Perry, paving the way for his showdown against Mike Tyson in November. However, criticism surrounding the fight has only intensified recently.
From the moment the bout was announced, Paul faced scrutiny for even considering a fight against Tyson. Tyson, who just turned 58, was once one of the most ferocious and feared fighters on the planet. But his prime days are long gone; his last win came in 2003 against Clifford Etienne by knockout.
Paul, while not a top-level boxer, is 27 years old with a 10-1 record. He packs a serious punch with seven knockout wins on his résumé.
Despite concerns about the fight’s validity, former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley believes it’s not as bad an idea as it seems.
“I’m a fan of the fight,” Woodley said on The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast. “Mike Tyson is 60, but are you trying to see Mike Tyson? So he’s still got that same fear in your heart that he had a long time ago.”
Woodley expected to see a preview of the Tyson fight when he called Paul’s win over Perry this past weekend as part of the broadcast team. Knowing Perry was shorter and smaller, Woodley thought Perry would use strategies similar to Tyson’s to handle size disadvantages.
But Perry couldn’t employ those tactics effectively, costing him the fight. “I know Mike has been training that style before he even got to the UFC,” Woodley said.
“I watched all his videos,” Woodley continued. “I hear him talking about the Mike Tyson peekaboo style.” This style involves slipping punches and covering ground quickly—something Perry failed to do.
“Mike Perry had his hands very low,” Woodley noted. “He definitely didn’t slip and step inside.”
Woodley doesn’t think Tyson will face these problems because his coaches invented that fighting style specifically for him.
While it may not get Tyson wins against today’s best heavyweights, it could help him deal with less experienced opponents like Paul.
“[Tyson] did thousands of drills,” Woodley said. “We watched how Cus D’Amato trained him.”
“They engineered a style that didn’t exist before him,” Woodley added. Even how Tyson held his hands was unique—at chin level rather than high on the head.
“If [Tyson] has a flashback moment during the fight with Jake, it’s game over,” Woodley warned.
“The age is why Paul even has a chance,” Woodley explained further. “[Paul’s] age and youth versus Mike’s experience and reputation make it an even fight.”
“Jon Jones might be MMA’s best fighter," Woodley mused, "but walking down the street? He may sing to you; he may not scare you like Mike with tigers did."
Still, some fans and experts remain skeptical about Paul taking on an older version of Tyson. Yet opinions might shift come fight night.
“I still think Mike can knock Jake out,” Woodley asserted. “Jake would need to jab high and low, move constantly.”
“He needs to push Mike back,” he elaborated further. Pushing back keeps Tyson out of range for his powerful hooks.
“If Jake fights smartly—lands body jabs and punches—he could tire out Mike," Woodley suggested optimistically but cautiously added: "That’s Jake’s only path to victory; I see many ways for Mike to beat Jake.”
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