The last person to fight Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr, is adamant the veteran boxer still retains his ‘legendary power’ and has backed him to defeat Jake Paul.
Former world champions Tyson and Jones Jr. could not be separated when they met in an exhibition bout four years ago.
Sporting icon Tyson returns to the ring again on Friday night to fight influencer Paul at Dallas’ 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium – but this time he puts his record on the line in what has been sanctioned as a professional bout.
The fight has divided opinion, not only for ethical reasons as a 58-year-old who was forced to pull out of this event back in July for medical reasons prepares to fight someone 31 years his junior, but also in terms of the outcome.
Some are convinced that Tyson’s boxing IQ and knockout power will result in Paul hitting the canvas for the first time, while others expect the younger man to prevail and continue to build his promising career.
Revealing his prediction for the fight, Jones Jr. told talkSPORT: ‘Mike Tyson can do one of two things and I don’t think he’ll do the first option because he doesn’t have to – that would be to go out and get Paul out of there and put a barrage on him.
‘I don’t think Paul can take his punches as good as Tyson can take his punch. However, Paul is a good puncher. Don’t get it wrong. And if Mike takes a good shot from Paul, Paul will get him out.
‘But right now, I think, because of the experience, if they get into a dogfight, Tyson would definitely win a dogfight right away.
‘But if Mike chooses to go out there and spend some rounds in the ring, to try to educate Jake on boxing, then it gives Jake a better chance.
‘Jake has to hope that Tyson gets tired while he’s teaching these lessons, and then maybe sneak in and get Tyson out there, you know. So we’ll see.
‘But I think Mike Tyson wins the fight, probably on points. But one shot and it could be all over for Jake Paul, if Mike chooses to do that.’
Discussing Tyson’s punch-power, Jones Jr. added: ‘Mike hit me harder in my chest than I have been hit in my whole career. He still has that legendary power, trust me.
‘But there’s a guy in my early days called Eddie Evans that hit me with the hardest headshot. And I can promise you that Merqui Sosa missed me with the hardest shot I’ve ever been missed with.’
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