It won't be long before Netflix subscription holders are able to stream Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, but there's still enough time for other fighters to weigh in. After hearing from Paul's manager and even actor Russell Crowe's thoughts on the fight, it's high time we heard from someone who actually knows what it's like to knock out Tyson. Lennox Lewis is one of a few men to hold that distinction, and he shared some thoughts about the upcoming bout.
UK-born boxer Lewis fought Tyson in 2002 and knocked out Iron Mike in the eighth round. The three-time heavyweight champion spoke to Sky Sports to give his thoughts on the big fight between his former opponent and Jake Paul and dropped a surprising take on who he thinks will come out on top:
It's hard to box when you're that old, moving around the ring, throwing punches, getting punches thrown at you, but I think he can handle it. I was thinking that Jake Paul was going to be in trouble, because Mike Tyson knows how to throw great body punches, great head shots. We just have to see if he's going to do them in the ring - I'm hoping that he'll do that.
Lennox Lewis indicated that the key to the fight will lie in how much of Mike Tyson's legendary hitting power remains. If Jake Paul takes a few of those heavy body shots, it will limit his stamina, benefiting Tyson more. That, on top of requested shorter rounds for the fight, could help the veteran fighter even the odds against the younger Paul.
Jake Paul has already talked about his fighting plans beyond this coming match, but he needs to focus on Mike Tyson first. As Lennox Lewis went on to say, Paul will need to stay on his toes and not fall victim to getting blocked off by "Iron Mike" and his devastating punches:
[I expect to see] Mike Tyson just kind of cutting off the ring and throwing body and head blows, when he can catch up to Jake Paul. I'm sure Jake Paul will be moving fast, moving around the ring. He's not going to want to stand there and get hit by Mike Tyson! I'll be there and it's going to be exciting.
The big fight at AT&T stadium should be exciting. While there are different opinions about how hyping mega-fights like this over bouts between boxers at the top of the sport will impact the sport's longevity as a whole, it's hard not to get caught up in the hype.
Ultimately, this is about more than boxing, and it taps into the classic age vs. experience debate people have had for years. Will Mike Tyson be humbled by "El Gallo," despite thinking he'll beat him "very badly" in the ring? There are sure to be people hoping that the longtime YouTuber will face defeat and take a break from constantly trolling fighters to pour more energy into being a stronger boxer himself.
With only days remaining, it's worth reminding readers that there is no back-up plan should Jake Paul or Mike Tyson pull out of this fight at the last minute. If we don't see this fight happen as scheduled, I think there's a decent shot we won't see it happen. I would hate that, mainly because I want to see how many people are interested in watching a live sporting event on Netflix, and the possibility of getting more free pay-per-view quality events on the streamer.
Fans can see if Lennox Lewis' predictions come to pass when Paul vs. Tyson streams live on Netflix on Friday, November 15th. I know that I'm clearing my schedule to see these two trade blows, though I'm still undecided as to who I think will end up winning between the two.
