Mike Tyson (left) and Jake Paul (right), seen here during their November 14 weigh-ins, will engage ... [ ] in an 8-round boxing match on November 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Mike Tyson is not your typical 58-year-old. Actually, Tyson is not your typical any-year-old. So, it’s not yet completely clear how exactly age may affect Tyson’s boxing prowess when he takes on 27-year-old YouTuber Jake Paul shortly after 8 p.m. ET on Friday night. Nevertheless, there some key things healthwise to look out for when “Iron Mike” Tyson takes the ring at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in the match that will be broadcast on Netflix.
You might expect Iron Mike to show some rust. After all, Tyson’s final boxing match of his professional career took place nearly two decades ago in 2005 when he lost to Kevin McBride in a sixth-round TKO, otherwise known as technical knock out. That was technically Tyson’s last competitive fight. November 2020 was the last time Tyson participated in any kind of public boxing match that didn’t take place on a JetBlue airplane flight. That was an exhibition match-up against Roy Jones, Jr., which ended in a draw. Even though Tyson has been training for the Paul match, training ain’t the same thing as a real match. So who knows how long it will take Iron Mike to iron out some of the wrinkles when he first enters the ring against Paul.
Plus, Tyson’s reflexes, reaction times and speed may have decreased over time with age. Even though Tyson in his earlier years was known for his power—by 1986, he had accumulated a 22-0........