It is sometimes said that the last thing to leave a boxer is his power, but if you’re Mike Tyson apparently that old maxim extends to speed too.
The former heavyweight champion, who hasn’t competed in a sanctioned professional bout since 2006, will return to the ring in July to fight boxing upstart Jake Paul in Texas in a showcase event to be broadcast live on the Netflix platform. Some questions remain as to the specifics of the contest — namely whether it will classed as a pro bout or an exhibition — given that it will pit Tyson, who will be 58 by the time of the fight, against Paul, who is over three decades Iron Mike’s junior.
Either way, though, Tyson appears to be taking the fight against the 9-1 Paul as seriously as ever — at least judging by footage that has filtered out of day one of training camp.
‘It’s day 1…the fun has just begun’ pic.twitter.com/RUbzX1Coba
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) March 14, 2024
The brief clip released by Tyson’s official social channels early on Thursday shows the legendary boxer murdering the pads, which are being held by his trainer Rafael Cordeiro — a coach known for his affiliation with the Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil where he worked alongside some of mixed martial arts’ biggest names like Anderson Silva, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Wanderlei Silva (to name just three.)
“It’s day one… the fun has just begun,” Tyson says to conclude the footage.
The bout will be Tyson’s first competitive action since a 2020 exhibition against fellow ring icon Roy Jones Jr. in the Staples Center in Los Angeles, which was adjudged as a split draw after eight rounds of action.
