“He’s Not Fighting a MMA Guy”: Paul George Shares His Predictions for Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul Fight

Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George recently talked about the trending contest between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul on his podcast, ‘Podcast P with Paul George‘. Mike Tyson, who was known and feared as ‘Iron Mike’ during his boxing days, is coming out of retirement for this fight at the age of 58. He will be matched against Jake Paul, who started his career as a social media influencer, before pursuing a career in crossover boxing.

Paul George talked about the fight with his co-hosts before revealing his prediction for the bout. The boxing world has been split in half regarding the prediction of this fight. Many have picked the young 27-year-old Paul as the winner despite his relative inexperience because of the massive age difference between the fighters. However, others have refused to bet against Mike Tyson, arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time and an absolute freak of nature.

PG fell in the second category. In the recent episode of his podcast, he said, “I am not going against Iron Mike. I am not going against Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson is one of those guys, that you see his name – I am voting Mike Tyson. I am going for Mike Tyson.”

There is an alarming age gap between the two boxers but Paul George is confident that age should not be a factor. He said, “I don’t care about the age gap. He is actually fighting a boxer. He is not fighting a MMA guy, he is not fighting a wrestler, he is not fighting an entertainer, he is fighting a boxer. I don’t care what the age gap is, he is fighting a boxer.”

Jake Paul has often been criticized for not fighting real boxers and going for retired MMA fighters and other celebrities instead. George reiterated the same logic before picking Tyson for the fight.

The NBA player went on to talk about Tyson’s opponent and his seriousness towards the sport. He questioned his hosts and asked, “What is the angle for Jake Paul? Does he want to be known as a serious boxer?” The panel discussed Paul’s smartness and what the future holds for him in this sport. They mentioned the boxer doing it for a paycheck but suggested if he wants to pursue the sport, he needs to start fighting more serious opponents.

Mike Tyson criticized Jake Paul in 2022

Mike Tyson, though retired from boxing, has been very active in the media and entertainment world. In 2022, he criticized Jake Paul for the way he fights and mentioned that he could take him on if he were in better shape.

Tyson said, “[Jake’s] punches you can see coming a mile away, you can see that coming a mile away. I’m 55, I can see that coming a mile away. I would beat these f***ers [Jake and Logan Paul]. I’d go straight at them, there would be no boxing. The only thing I got to do is be in shape. 30 days of boxing training every day and I can fight anyone. If I’m boxing every day I wouldn’t even have to worry about [my] diet.”

Fast forward to 2024 and Tyson’s wish has come true with Netflix throwing a lot of money into broadcasting this fight. The fight is scheduled for the 20th of July at the Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas. Since the announcement, the event has created a lot of buzz amongst boxing fans and they would be hoping that it lives up to its billing.