Boxing legend Mike Tyson posted footage of him training for his return to the ring against Jake Paul and fight fans are mixed on whether ‘Iron Mike’ still has it in him.
On July 20, Mike Tyson will be headed back into the boxing ring to take on influencer Jake Paul in Netflix’s first-ever live boxing event.
Fans were immediately baffled at the announcement last week, with many slamming the bout as being a “joke” for reportedly enforcing headgear while others simply believed Tyson was too past his prime for the fight to be competitive.
Tyson has since stepped up and shared footage of his first day of training to take on ‘The Problem Child’ and while some are impressed with his punching power, others aren’t as convinced.
Mike Tyson’s Jake Paul training footage sparks debate
In the short ten-second clip, Tyson showed off his punching power and movement, landing some furious blows to his trainer.
“It’s day one, the fun’s just begun,” Mike grinned at the end of the video.
‘It’s day 1…the fun has just begun’ pic.twitter.com/RUbzX1Coba
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) March 14, 2024
Immediately, the combat sports community began to weigh in on the footage, which impressed many, but seemed to only fuel the skepticism of others.
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen was among the first to take issue with the training clips, pointing out that it didn’t even seem like Tyson put in much work.
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“In the future, if you’re ever going to spend five seconds hitting mitts, as a way of making the audience believe you’re doing a training session, make sure you splash water on your face and T-shirt first,” he remarked.
In the future, if you’re ever going to spend five seconds hitting mitts, as a way of making the audience believe you’re doing a training session, make sure you splash water on your face and T-shirt first. https://t.co/5MZ11RjshH
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) March 14, 2024
“Go watch Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr from a few years ago. Then you’ll get a real idea of what Mike will look like in the ring at nearly 60 and why everyone is calling this matchup a joke,” professional gambler Luca Fury chimed in.
For others, the quick clip was enough to get their hopes up that Tyson would be able to bring it and potentially even be the first fighter to ever KO Jake Paul in the middle of the ring.
“Forget the script. Knock his ass out,” one fan replied.
“Jake Paul is going to literally die,” another commented.
We’ll have to see exactly what – or who – goes down on July 20 when Jake Paul and Iron Mike lock horns in a fight many didn’t think would ever happen, including Tyson himself.