- Conor McGregor joins the chorus of disapproval for Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson
- He called the showdown, which will air on Netflix this summer, “bizarre.”
- Eddie Hearn has led the big names in the strange confrontation
Conor McGregor has spoken out about Jake Paul and Mike Tyson’s shocking announcement that they will face each other this summer.
The boxing world was stunned by the news after ‘Iron Mike’ opted to come out of retirement to fight YouTuber Paul, with a 30-year age difference between them.
Veteran Tyson, 58, has not boxed since an exhibition against Roy Jones Jr in November 2020, while his last professional fight was in 2005, when he was defeated by Kevin McBride.
Meanwhile, Paul has risen rapidly in boxing by defeating a number of former MMA stars including Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz, although he was previously defeated by professional boxer Tommy Fury last year.
The influencer led some to believe he was going after traditional boxers after beating professionals Andre August and Ryan Bourland, but instead he opted for another profitable fight against a legend of the sport that left boxing fans and experts scratching their heads.
Conor McGregor has given his opinion on the ‘strange’ confrontation between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson
Paul will fight boxing legend Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Dallas later this year on Netflix.
There has already been concern from the likes of Eddie Hearn, who called the fight “sad”, and UFC star McGregor joined that chorus by calling the clash “bizarre” and insisting he had little interest in tuning in.
“Oh God,” the Irishman said when asked what he thought about the fight – via happy hit.
‘It’s a bit strange, you know? My interest is low. I don’t know. I don’t understand.
“I wish Mike (Tyson) the best.”
The fight will take place at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Texas, which is the home of the Dallas Cowboys NFL team, and will be streamed live on Netflix.
Tyson said: “I’m looking forward to getting in the ring with Jake Paul.”
UFC fighter McGregor said his interest in high-profile showdown was ‘low’
“He has grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT.”
Paul added on Instagram: ‘Time to put Iron Mike to sleep.
‘It’s crazy to think that in my second professional fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson undercard.
“Now, less than four years later, I’m going to face Tyson to see if I have what it takes to beat one of the most notorious fighters and one of the biggest icons in boxing.
“My goal is to become world champion and now I have the opportunity to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. This will be the fight of my life”.
Hearn had expressed opposition to the event, saying it threatened to diminish Tyson’s legacy.
“For me it’s really sad because Mike Tyson was one of my idols growing up, and to see him fight at 57, 58… but I also understand that a lot of people are going to tune in and watch it,” Hearn told Mail Sport.
‘It’s an entertainment event, Netflix, it’s great to see them involved in boxing. I think he will do very well. But it’s not really something for me.
‘I don’t think you should fight at 57 years old. But also the guy was one of the best fighters of all time,” Hearn continued.
‘Why do you want to get to five percent of what you were and lose to a guy like Jake Paul?
“I shouldn’t have to do that, but the world is the world we live in.”
