Eddie Hearn, the promoter, has described the November headline bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson in Texas as “dangerous, irresponsible, and disrespectful to boxing”.
Former heavyweight world champion Tyson, 58, has not competed professionally since 2005, whereas YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, 27, has won ten of his eleven professional fights.
Hearn will attend the event at AT&T Stadium to support Katie Taylor in her rematch against Amanda Serrano, but he plans to leave before the main event.
“The reality is that when Mike Tyson retired from the sport 20 years ago, he was shot, completely finished,” Matchroom’s CEO told BBC Sport. “It was actually sad to watch then, 20 years ago.”
Tyson, who was born in Brooklyn, became the youngest world heavyweight champion when he defeated Trevor Berbick at the age of 20 in 1986.
He was also the first to hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles at the same time the following year.
Though Tyson fought in an exhibition against fellow veteran Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, Hearn, who sat next to ‘Iron Mike’ at a Los Angeles event in August, predicts the comeback will “only end in tears”.
“I’m in awe of him – he’s one of my favourite ever fighters, one of the greatest of all time – but he’s a 58-year-old man,” Hearn shared.
“You only need to speak to him and look at him to know this guy should not be in a ring again.”
