Jake Paul believes he can fight for a title, but Mike Tyson could be done in the ring at 58

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jake Paul believes he can fight for a championship title in two years.

Mike Tyson could end up in the ring after the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion’s first sanctioned professional bout since 2005.

An event that was hyped as a prizefight turned into a glorified sparring session, the eight-round fight won by Paul in a unilateral unanimous decision Friday night at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

Questions will remain for Paul about when he will fight a competitor in his prime, as opposed to older former champions, mixed martial artists or journeyman boxers.

The 27-year-old YouTuber turned boxer’s answers were consistent and now he has a timeline.

“I think this could happen in the next 24 months,” Paul said. “I really, really believe in my skills, my abilities and my strength. And the cruiserweight division is seemingly open for the taking on that timeline.

Tyson, whose last fight before his retirement was a defeat to Kevin McBride 19 years ago, said he felt confident about taking on Paul because of a entertaining exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. for no fans during the pandemic in 2020.

A shorter fight (instead of 10 or 12 rounds) with shorter rounds (two minutes instead of three) and heavier gloves was far from entertaining.

The International Boxing Hall of Famer came hard at Paul in the first seconds, before briefly starting the second round again. Otherwise, he usually let Paul come to him, and Paul said he thought Tyson was too tired to be a threat after the third round.

Yet Tyson would not immediately afterwards say it was his last fight, after the officially recorded loss dropped his record to 50-7 with 44 knockouts.

“It depends on the situation,” Tyson said before proposing a fight with Paul’s older brother, Logan Paul, who stood next to him in the ring.

“I’ll kill you, Mike,” Logan Paul shot back, using an expletive for emphasis.

But Tyson said he entered the ring “one last time” on Saturday, in a social media post detailing the health scare he faced that forced the fight’s original date to be postponed this summer.

“I almost died in June,” Tyson said wrote on X. “Had 8 blood transfusions. I lost half my blood and 25 pounds in the hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight, so I won.”

There is no doubt that the younger Paul will return to the ring. The former social media influencer started boxing about 4 1/2 years ago and has always said he wants to be a championship fighter.

“He’s a very good fighter,” said Tyson, the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987-90, after Paul won 80-72 on one judge’s scorecard and 79-73 on the other two.

However, Paul still has plenty to prove. He is 11-1 with seven knockouts, the only loss coming to Tommy Fury, the less successful brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

The former Disney Channel star has proven that he can create hype for just about any fight.

The first live sporting event on Netflix was watched in 60 million households, the streaming company said Saturday. Netflix said further details on viewership numbers would be available next week.

According to reports, Paul’s payday was $40 million, compared to $20 million for Tyson. Paul mentioned his song at a promotional event last summer.

Organizers estimated the number of spectators in AT&T Stadium at 72,000, and this seemed like a legitimate number.

“There may never be another moment like this in boxing, but I believe we can find something,” said Paul. “And I think there are a few names that make sense, that the events will be just as big.”

In the days before his fight with Tyson, Paul mentioned super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, who is considered one of the best boxers in the world.

An opponent of that size is likely several fights away for Paul, and it may not be long before age becomes an issue for the 34-year-old Alvarez.

Paul’s camp will never doubt his ability to put on a show.

“Boxing has ebbs and flows, ups and downs, big events, small events, medium events,” said Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s promoter. “Our philosophy is that it’s not about the decision made in the ring. It’s about the attitude you have, the product you make and how you entertain the fans. And there is no better athlete than Jake Paul.”

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