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Should 57-year-old Mike Tyson, with a lengthy history of head trauma and erratic behavior, step into a boxing ring with 27-year-old Jake Paul?
Well, not if you listen to the words of noted MMA coach John Kavanagh.
Kavanagh, who runs SBG Ireland and is most notably the longtime coach of UFC star Conor McGregor, says Tyson shouldn’t be fighting anyone, let alone Paul.
“I don’t know whether there’s a wink and a nod behind the stage,” Kavanagh said on a recent episode of The MMA Hour. “Is Tyson going to be 60, 58? Full force blows to the head at 58. No, it’s not a good idea, no matter who you are. You don’t need to be doing that. If it was kind of an exhibition, and they’re kind of sparring, great. Because I was asked about not necessarily just Mike, but this kind of YouTube boxing stuff, and my take on it now rather than being snobby about it is I just love anything that gets more kids involved in sports. Great if it’s combat sports, boxing wrestling, mixed martial arts, whatever the case may be. And if Jake Paul is doing a good job of filling local boxing gyms — that’s a little bit of what we’re trying to do — brilliant.
John Kavanagh Warns That Mike Tyson-Jake Paul Fight Could Get Ugly
Kavanagh took a measured approach to celebrity boxing. But when it came to Tyson, age was where he drew the line.
“I’m not into the whole whatever else he’s doing, particularly in that bout — I don’t think someone approaching 60 needs to be fighting,” he said. “It would appear Jake hits hard, he’s knocked out a few guys. So I just hope that it is what it is, it’s kind of an entertaining thing, and they move around the ring and kind of spar. As long as it’s that, thumbs up.”
Tyson posted several training videos recently. And Paul’s girlfriend, Jutta Leerdam, expressed her concern for her boyfriend’s health.
But many more are concerned about Tyson. Especially after his work to get to what appeared to be a healthy place in his life.
The fight is scheduled for July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas and will stream live on Netflix.