The last man to beat Mike Tyson, Kevin McBride, admits he still feels the lingering effects of the boxing legend’s punches 19 years later.
That night, in June 2005, Tyson bid a sad farewell to boxing as he quit on his stool at the end of the sixth round after being battered from pillar to post by the unranked Irishman.
Now, nearly two decades later, we are just under a week away from seeing a 58-year-old step back between the ropes in a crossover clash with 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
Given the staggering 31-year age gap between the pair most expected the fight to be an exhibition bout – much like Tyson’s last outing with Roy Jones Jr in 2020.
However, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has sanctioned it as a professional heavyweight contest under a modified rule set.
Tyson and Paul will duke it out in 14oz gloves rather than the usual 10oz mitts pros wear, while they are set to compete over eight two-minute rounds instead of three-minute stretches.
Even with the bigger gloves and his advanced age, McBride believes Paul will feel Tyson’s power through the padding.
“Jake Paul is a young kid,” he told Bloody Elbow.
“He has youth with him but Mike Tyson’s power is unbelievable.
“I still feel it to this day, more than 19 years later.
“He hits so hard and power is the last thing to go. George Foreman proved that against Michael Moorer.
“Sure he was a bit younger than Mike is now but power-wise it is one of the biggest punches in history and he can probably knock Jake out.”
Tyson was a destructive force in his prime and finished 44 of his 50 wins (50-6) inside the distance, including 24 in the first round.
There have been glimpses of his legendary punching power in training videos uploaded throughout camp.
However, this footage has almost entirely been made up of short three-second clips pasted together.
The effectiveness of Tyson’s power will depend on how he is able to conserve his energy and pick his punches over the two-minute stanzas.
This will be the defining factor when Tyson and Paul square off at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Friday night.
