Boxing fanatics have already marked July 20th on their calendars as Mike Tyson will take on YouTuber-turned-boxer/fighter Jake Paul. The fight is set to be streamed on Netflix, and both of them will be making money hand over fist. While, like many people, Cam Newton wants Iron Mike to beat the lights out of Paul, he has concerns about the decades-wide age difference between both contenders.
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Tyson is coming out of obscurity to put his gloves back on, and he will be the crowd’s favorite when stepping back into that ring. While once a celebrated and most feared man, he is now nearly 60 and way past his prime days. Newton sees this too, and on a recent episode of 4th & 1, he made sure to highlight the difference in strength between a young buck and an old, seasoned head.
Jake Paul, who has picked his rivals carefully ever since he started training himself for boxing, knows that there is a 30-year age difference between him and Kid Dynamite. Cam compared this to a hypothetical situation about sparing with HOF QB Joe Montana when he was 27. It just wouldn’t be fair. Thus, Newton believes that Paul is not going to be fighting the best version of Iron Mike.
“Me at 27, m**herfu**ing Joe Montana could compete with me or beat me? Hell nah!” expressed Newton. “And I love Joe Montana… Mike Tyson looks good. He looks d**n good. But this is where I have slight concerns that he’s (Jake Paul) not fighting the best version of Mike Tyson. It’s all hype.“
Reflecting on his own experience, Cam couldn’t help but acknowledge the massive strain even a single round in the ring has on your body. Despite the appeal of Mike Tyson’s impressive training videos and return to the sport, Cam has doubts about Tyson’s ability to endure a bout against someone young like Jake Paul. At nearly 60, Tyson might lack the stamina required to handle such a fight and feels a loss could tarnish his legendary career.
Cam says, “It’s the longest three minutes,” when someone enters the ring, and it would be different when Mike Tyson does it after almost two decades. Interestingly, Cam then recounted a memorable encounter with Peter Berg, the acclaimed Hollywood director, during which he found himself in the boxing ring for what felt like the “longest three minutes” of his life.
Cam Newton Narrates His Experience Boxing through Hollywood Director Peter Berg
It all started when Cam Newton and Peter Berg crossed paths during a national commercial shoot, and then fate brought them together again in LA in 2016. Aware of Cam’s passion for boxing, Berg extended an unexpected invitation to spar for three rounds in a local gym, and while the NFL star participated, thinking it was a joke; he couldn’t be more wrong.
Cam soon realized that Berg was dead serious about throwing down when he started to throw jabs in the former Panthers QB’s direction. As the first round progressed, Cam, who still wasn’t taking it seriously, was surprised by Berg’s commitment and then decided to dial up his own focus, landing solid blows in the process. By the second round, exhaustion began to set in, and Cam felt the toll of boxing’s relentless demands. It was at that moment that he developed a newfound respect for boxers like Evander Holyfield, Mayweather, Tyson, and many more.
Though an athlete himself, Cam saw boxing from the outside from the perspective of a fan. That is why he felt that it wasn’t too difficult to survive for three minutes. It’s a mindset often seen in sports fans who criticize athletes for what they regard as poor performances, foolishly thinking they could do better if given the chance.
What these critics fail to grasp is the immense dedication and hard work required to excel in any professional discipline. Making it as a pro athlete demands a level of commitment that goes far beyond what we see with the naked eye.
