NBA star Kevin Durant recently came clean on who he saw as the victor of the upcoming Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight. The ‘Phoenix Suns’ power forward appeared on the latest episode of Logan Paul’s ‘Impaulsive’ podcast where he counted boxing as a “young man’s sport”. These words from the 35-year-old were enough to deduce who he thought would win the upcoming clash.
Durant may have refrained from criticizing the Paul vs. Tyson matchup, but several other combat sports stars bashed ‘The Problem Child’ for picking a retired boxing legend like Tyson as his rival. In fact, the criticism is quite understandable since there’s a startling 30-year age gap between the two.
The Phoenix Suns star isn’t a stranger to what Tyson can do inside the ring. However, he also knows that at 58, ‘Kid Dynamite’ would nowhere be as lethal as he used to be in his prime. This is why Durant implied that Paul would get the better of Tyson in their fight scheduled for 15 November.
“It’s a young man[‘s] sport, man. This man [Paul] has been training for a long time.”
Durant’s views hold well in several cases even apart from boxing. No individual is immune to the effects of old age and how it can bring a decline in one’s ability to perform.
It’s quite apparent that Tyson won’t be an exception to this, as he is a mortal like any of us. However, the 27-year-old Ohio native might make a costly mistake if he underestimates ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ due to his age.
Does Tyson have enough to nullify Durant’s prediction?
Tyson’s KO victories against Trevor Berbick, Larry Holmes, and several other noted boxers bear testimony to the devastating power behind his punches. His right hook-right uppercut combo has shut the lights and floored a plethora of his rivals. However, it’s quite apparent that age would not allow him to have that superhuman power behind his strikes in his fight against Paul.
Still, even 50% of the power that Tyson’s punches had back then may be enough to hurt ‘The Problem Child’ severely. Due to being 58, ‘Kid Dynamite’ would also step into the fight with a depleted gas tank as compared to his prime. So, he might be looking for precision instead of volume.
Needless to say, Paul will find himself in a troublesome position if Tyson manages to land even four to five of his strikes cleanly. Hence, despite Durant’s prediction matching the most likely outcome, there’s every possibility of a major upset waiting for him on 15 November.
