Crolla's Column: Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul - Madness But Everyone Will Watch it
Well, what have we got here then? A fight that has captured the imagination, with two supreme athletes set to go toe-to-toe in a potential fight of the ages. No, I’m not talking about Jake Paul v Mike Tyson, but the co-main event – Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano! More of that later.
Let us address this oddball fight. What’s going to happen? It’s an absolute mystery. Mike Tyson is 30-odd years past his best, and the controversy is all based on the question, is this dangerous? Of course it’s dangerous. When Tyson had his exhibition against Roy Jones Jr, he did surprise a lot of people in how well he looked. But this is completely different.
Jake Paul is 31 years younger than Tyson, who is 58. Tyson was actually well past his best before Jake Paul was born! It’s nearly 20 years since he lost to big Kevin McBride, and he was absolutely shot to bits THEN! It’s scary. Tyson might well be in a much better place mentally now, but father time waits for no man.
The ’Problem Child’ as Jake likes to be known may well pose a puzzle for Iron Mike, as he has youth on his side and is preparing like a proper boxer. It might not be the most popular opinion, but he’s definitely improving. You could see that from his first fight to the Tommy Fury fight. I think he will keep improving.
I have no idea what’s going to happen, but if it goes past a few rounds you have to start leaning towards Jake Paul. So many people will watch it because it is so hard to predict what will happen.
It’s a sanctioned, professional fight and apparently there’ll be around 60,000 inside the AT&T stadium in Arlington, Texas. They are going to be wearing 14oz gloves, not 10oz gloves that heavyweights would normally wear, and they will be contesting two-minute rounds rather than three. I’m not sure the gloves will help Tyson – the last thing a fighter loses is his punch. Getting hit with 10oz gloves is very different. I think everything is set up in Jake Paul’s favour, even though he’s been saying it’s all on Mike’s terms.
Listen, it’s so hard to talk about an event that has so much uncertainty. That’s why people are intrigued. Obviously, if I have to give an opinion on what I think will happen, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tyson clips him in the first few rounds. But if Jake can weather the first few rounds, I’d go for him. That seems absolutely mental me saying that, but I just cannot get over the fact that Mike is 58, so I reckon Paul can even stop the ‘baddest man on the planet’.
Look, Tyson had a few shockers all those years ago, but Jake Paul is no Buster Douglas, Lennox Lewis, or Evander Holyfield! I can’t pretend I’m a fan of this fight, but there is a bit of a morbid fascination about it. And even though I have no idea what will happen, if push comes to shove, I have to lean towards Paul, and probably with a late stoppage. And no, I cannot believe I’ve said that!
Away from that fight, I am much more excited about the undercard and specifically the Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano rematch. I was in Madison Square for the first fight and genuinely, it was just about the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced. It was unbelievable. You had the two most passionate sets of fans in the world – the Irish and the Puerto Ricans.
I thought Katie Taylor won, and obviously she did get the decision, but many people around me on the night thought Serrano did enough to win. To be honest, I would’ve loved to see Katie bow out then. She’s since lost to Chantelle Cameron and then had one more great performance against Chantelle in their second contest. How many times can Katie keep going to the well? She’s 38 now – actually older than me! On the flip side, Serrano’s no spring chicken either and is only two years younger.
In that first fight, Serrano was only a few punches away from stopping Katie, but like a proper champion, Katie came roaring back. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one is controversial again. It could go either way, but I’m going to go with my heart and back Katie to squeak out the tightest of points decisions.
There’s another big card in Saudi Arabia at the weekend. It’s ‘Latino’ night but there’s the very English Chris Billam-Smith in a cracker of a fight against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez. You know what? I think Chris can do it. Ramirez is a very talented Mexican southpaw, but he’s not the hardest of workers sometimes. He’s a very good fighter and has only ever been beaten by Dimitry Bivol, but I wonder if he’s comfortable at cruiserweight. He’s a giant and the intensity is not always there.
I think CBS can eke out a very close points decision. I think he’ll have a great game plan, and he can outwork and out-hussle Ramirez. He may well have to come through some rocky moments, but he can see out the championship rounds and get the job done.
I always say, Shane McGuigan is a fantastic coach, and I think he’ll admit that Chris is his greatest work. What he has done is fantastic – there’s no way anyone would’ve predicted he’d be on the biggest stage. That isn’t a criticism, it’s a massive compliment. Look at what he’s achieved – he’s won a world title, defended his world title, had stadium fights, and is now headlining over in Saudi! He’s done unbelievably well, and he deserves every bit of success.
