Former UFC star Brendan Schaub has criticised Jake Paul’s fight with Mike Tyson, and insisted it needs changing.
Paul and Tyson will meet in an extraordinary licensed professional bout, despite legendary heavyweight Tyson now being 58 years old and without a professional appearance since 2005.
The pair will meet for eight two-minute rounds in 14oz gloves, a reduced format which could well benefit the heavyweight veteran.
But bizarrely Schaub, has suggested in order to preserve interest in the fight, the pair should fight under bare-knuckle rules.
“I like my boy Mike, but there’s just no appetite for this. Nobody wants to see it,” he claimed on his podcast.
It just doesn’t make sense. They did too big of an arena. I think they overshot.
“Yeah I know, the other thing is Mike having to pull out because of ulcers. I don’t get how you’re going to twist this one.
“Mike Tyson, god bless him, pulled out because of ulcers. You know, it’s just tough.
“You want to get people intrigued with this fight, which they can’t, they keep trying but they can’t. Just make it bare knuckle.
“If Jake gets hit with a bare knuckle against Mike Tyson, this thing is over because now you’re like ‘are they in cahoots together, is there a fix going on?”
Neither Tyson or Paul have ever fought in bare-knuckle boxing, and would be unlikely to accept such conditions.
And they will be comfortable that there is enough interest to proceed, with over 80,000 expected inside the AT&T Arena.
The event will also be broadcast globally on Netflix, with millions expected to tune in, culminating in an estimated purse in excess of $20 million for both fighters.
There has been criticism of Tyson’s involvement in the bout, but he has attempted to dispel concerns over his fitness by providing regular clips of training footage.
He has spoken with the upmost confidence that he will knock out Paul, and is also certain he made the right decision by accepting the fight.
“Can I be honest?” Tyson said. “I don’t think he can hurt me.
“I’m a glory junkie. I love people thinking about me all day.
“I’d rather live a short life of glory than a long life of obscurity. It’s just who I am.”
“This is all I started fighting for; to get all this f***ing status. I’m going to be chasing it for the rest of my life, I know that.
“I’m never going to get what I want, because I’m one of those gluttons for pain. I can never get enough.”
