It would be hard to find a fighter who knows Mike Tyson and his game better than Evander Holyfield.
The pair shared 14 rounds together over two pro contests, both in favour of Holyfield. He stopped Tyson in the first encounter and would frustrate him so much in the second that fans witnessed the infamous ear bite disqualification.
Still always respectful of ‘Iron’ Mike’s skillset, Holyfield knows well how dangerous the feared heavyweight can be inside the ropes. Speaking to Fight Hub TV, he weighed in on the controversial bout with Jake Paul, set for November 15.
“I don’t know how much confidence that Jake Paul has and all of that, but he’s gonna be a lot quicker. If he stays close to Mike then his chance of winning is gonna be great, but if he tries to stay back from Mike he’s gonna get caught.”
Paul and Tyson will face off in a professional contest with altered rules – eight two-minute rounds and with 14oz gloves – as the YouTuber come fighter continues to make big money from boxing.
It has been met with criticism from most corners of the sport due to the 30-year age gap, but Holyfield warned Paul that the 57-year-old will still be a real threat.
“Mike is like a snake. He’ll pop out on ya. He gets there too quick. But if you charge him, you’re gonna smother him. He push off his legs so he’s too close, but if you give him room everybody gets knocked out going backwards. Give him room you’re gonna be messed up.”
‘The Real Deal’ stopped short of making a prediction, saying he could see either man losing on the night. Paul if the power of Tyson was too much, and Tyson if he decided to replicate the performance in his last pro contest – a 2005 bout against Kevin McBride in which he refused to stand from his stool in between rounds six and seven.
“The point about it is does Jake Paul take a good shot? I never seen him get hit by nobody. That’s it … It may be over cause he ain’t probably never fought nobody that punch like Mike.
You never know, just like Mike quit in the ring. He got tired and just quit and just sat down – ‘I’m done.’”
The event will be broadcast on Netflix, a first for the sport, and feature the rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano on its undercard.
