Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson is finally set to take place on Friday night.
The fight, which was originally scheduled to take place in July, was postponed after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up.
Now, several months later, the controversial event is happening for real.
There will be a 31-year age gap between the two fighters, and concerns have been raised that Tyson could face a damaging defeat.
However, in an intriguing Instagram post, former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has posted his own thoughts on the fight.
He said in his caption, with a gaming simulation of the fight attached: “So I hear Mike Tyson will be fighting Jake Paul. Not quite sure how that will go but it could be something like this.”
The video then shows Paul and Tyson come face-to-face in a simulation using the UFC game with the pair bizarrely fighting in the octagon.
Tyson comes flying out of the traps, and lands a booming right hand which sends Paul crashing to the canvas in the first punch of the clash.
It took literally seconds for Paul’s head to be bounced off the canvas, and Tyson has his hand raised in victory after a seriously brutal KO.
This scenario seems highly unlikely given it would need to be a record-breaking stoppage, but Tyson has showed in training footage that he still possesses his ferocious power.
Many believe that Paul will get the better of the fight despite the experience gap, purely down to his condition and age.
However, in truth, nobody quite knows what to expect.
Former world champion George Groves has given an especially strange prediction.
Groves has insisted a bizarre ending to the fight could happen, in the same fashion as Ben Whittaker‘s recent incident where he flew over the top ropes in a draw with Liam Cameron.
“Over the top ropes, yeah, possibly, who knows honestly? [Anything could happen],” he told Best Offshore Sportsbooks.
“If you look back at Tyson’s fights, it was always just, quick start, pedal to the metal, boom. He was never in it for a points win, was he?
“So why would he change now? He must know that he’s dangerous early and probably isn’t backing himself down the stretch.
“Two minute rounds will suit him because he’s getting a minute’s rest quicker than usual.
“14oz gloves, you can get some spiteful 14s. We’ll see which ones they show up with.
“I think it’s got to be a tough man [to train Tyson] and guys from the mixed martial arts backgrounds usually have very clever, old-school, unconventional methods, and they’re usually tough guys so I can imagine that’s what Tyson’s leant into.
“He wants to be quick, he wants to be powerful, but he wants to be tough too, so maybe that’s what we’ll see.”
Tyson hasn’t fought professionally since 2005, when he lost to Kevin McBride and was a shadow of his former self.
Back then his life was spiralling out of control through drinking and drug taking and acknowledged that he no longer had the heart for boxing.
He has since turned his life around and even made a comeback of sorts in 2020, against Roy Jones Jr which ended in a draw.
Jones Jr will be on hand on Friday to offer his expert opinion as part of an all-star line up that includes Andre Ward, host Kate Scott (formerly Abdo) and Tyron Woodley, who Paul knocked out in their fight.
Paul actually fought on the undercard of Tyson vs Jones Jr where he made light work of former NBA star Nate Robinson.
This test – his 12th as a professional – will be like no other.
Save 33% on DAZN ahead of Black Friday
*If you click on a link in this story we will earn affiliate revenue.
There are more than 150 boxing and MMA fights a year on DAZN, and you can get access for less if you sign up now:
- Head to the DAZN website now to take advantage of a third off all plans.
- One option is the annual pay monthly plan, which is reduced to £9.99 from £14.99 in the DAZN Black Friday sale.
- Or you could save more money if you pay for a year upfront, with an annual subscription reduced to £89.99 – the equivalent of £7.50 / month.
- Complete your purchase before 29 November to take advantage of the sale.
DAZN currently has the exclusive rights to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and will have Queensberry’s star-studded stable from April 2025, which includes heavyweight champions Daniel Dubois, Zhilei Zhang, Fabio Wardley and Moses Itauma.