In the lead-up to the highly anticipated Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match set for July 20th on Netflix, promoter Oscar De La Hoya has voiced his mixed feelings about the spectacle.
While acknowledging the potential for increased viewership and business, De La Hoya is apprehensive about the image it portrays for boxing. The matchup pits the 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul against the 58-year-old retired legend Mike Tyson, who hasn’t fought professionally in nearly two decades.
De La Hoya believes that while Jake Paul possesses the youth and stamina to potentially outlast Tyson, the fight doesn’t align with the traditional path to boxing legitimacy. Instead, Jake has built his career on facing older opponents and leveraging his massive online following for financial gain.
“It’s going to bring more eyeballs to the sport of boxing, but my beef with it is it’s not the right image for us as a serious sport,” said De La Hoya. “If Jake Paul wants to take boxing seriously, he should take a different route—tough fights up the ranks, facing top contenders and world champions.”
The concern over the clash between business interests and boxing’s legacy is palpable. De La Hoya acknowledges Tyson’s enduring power and the potential for a dramatic knockout, but he also questions the validity of such a matchup in the context of boxing’s credibility.
As the date approaches, the boxing world remains divided over the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson showdown, with some viewing it as a lucrative spectacle and others raising concerns about its impact on the sport’s integrity.
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