After months of Jake Paul's trolling, a medical event delaying the fight, and plenty of smack talk, the time has finally come. Everyone with a Netflix subscription will get to see Mike Tyson take on the young and cocky fighter, and we'll see if experience can overcome age in the boxing ring. Now, hours before the fight airs on the 2024 TV schedule, Sylvester Stallone seemingly made his selection for the match, but betting odds don't agree with him.
Stallone may not be a professional fighter, but his Rocky movies have made him synonymous with the sport. I've said many times that this fight kind of mimics the storyline of his Rocky Balboa, which is ranked fifth on our best Rocky movies list. In that movie, Rocky loses to a much younger fighter in a bout that goes to a split judges' decision, but is that what he thinks will happen this time?
Sylvester Stallone Shouts Out Mike Tyson Before The Fight
Sly Stallone didn't explicitly pick a winner of Tyson vs. Paul in his latest Instagram post, but I think it made it clear who he's pulling for. After sharing a photoshopped photo that depicted Mike Tyson taking on Rocky, the actor said the following:
Of course this is a pretend picture which I find enjoyable to look at. But I have known Mike since the day he won his first title and I will tell you that this is the hardest punching superhuman fighter of all time!!!! You’ll never see this kind of warrior again!!! Enjoy the moment!
Mike Tyson believes he can beat Jake Paul, and based on Sylvester Stallone's writing, he's pulling for the legend. I don't think he's alone in that sentiment, as many want to see the icon pull through rather than suffer a defeat to someone as antagonistic and, as some would say, as unworthy as Paul, considering the difference in accolades between the two.
Betting Sites Have Jake Paul As The Overall Favorite To Win
It could also be that Sylvester Stallone loves rooting for the underdog, because Mike Tyson is certainly that based on the odds circulating around betting sites. DraftKings currently has Jake Paul as a -200 favorite to win the bout, which means he's being given 66.67% odds of winning. That's not substantial favoritism over Tyson, but the odds are much higher than some may believe.
As someone who observed both Tyson and Paul's public workouts, I can say that while the former is the more skilled fighter, age will be a factor in the bout. Tyson looked pretty sweaty after just a three-minute workout, and even with shorter rounds for this boxing match, he stands a good chance of getting exhausted much quicker than Jake Paul.
I think for Tyson to win he'll have to go hard early, and hope he can land a knockout using his superior techniques to get through to Paul.
I've heard from many people that they're expecting Tyson to knock Paul out, but Vegas has the odds of that happening at +250, which is highly unlikely. The implied probability of that happening is 28.57%. As a betting man, I'd feel iffy about taking those odds, but I've seen them hit before! We will see what happens soon enough!
Stream Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul on Netflix beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. Just as a heads up, there will be other fights taking place before the main event, so don't plan on switching it on right at the start expecting to see the two trade blows!
