Roy Jones Jr. makes shock Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul prediction… ‘It’s like a mule kick in the chest’

On By Littum

Roy Jones Jr. has warned that Mike Tyson can still beat the best of them ahead of his upcoming return to the ring.

Tyson will step back into the squared circle on November 15 against controversial YouTuber boxer Jake Paul. It will be his first professional fight since 2005, when he was stopped by unknown heavyweight Kevin McBride, and just his third time in the ring at all since then.

He has competed in two exhibitions since retiring, one in 2006 against Corey Sanders and then in November 2020 against Jones. While the first was a flop at the box office, the second became one of the ten highest-grossing pay-per-views in boxing history.

Roy Jones Jr describes how Mike Tyson still kicks ‘like a mule’

Over 1.6 million buyers tuned in on pay-per-view to watch Roy Jones Jr and Mike Tyson compete in an eight-round exhibition in November 2020. The pair wore larger gloves and competed under a very restricted set of rules, with the fight ending in tied.

But that didn’t stop Tyson from landing some of the heaviest shots Jones has ever felt. Speaking to Andre Ward for All The Smoke Fight, he said: “When you get out there and look at Mike, you have an understanding of who and what Mike is.

“But you don’t realize that little side-to-side movement that I’ve never thought much about before, you really have a hard time hitting him with it. So that was probably the most fascinating thing to me, the fact that he can still dodge punches like he could.

“I feel like I’ve got some of the fastest hands in boxing, I’m thinking ‘no way in the world can he dodge my punches’. But he was, he was able to dodge them and I was surprised.

“The first time he hit me in the chest, it was like a mule had kicked me in the chest, 57 years old! I said ‘oh my god, you’re not going to hit me again’.”

Roy Jones Jr believes Mike Tyson can beat Jake Paul ‘anytime’

As for next week’s fight between Tyson and Paul, Jones reckons the outcome will end up being up to the legendary heavyweight. The New Yorker has decades more experience but must have trained carefully to overcome the controversial 31-year age difference between the pair.

“If Mike is fit enough to go the rounds, he can probably put Jake out at any time,” Jones continued. “But obviously when he’s 58 or 59, however old he is, his timing isn’t the same, so it’s quicker for him to get it over with quickly instead of waiting a long time.

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul attend the Fanatics Fest Press Conference at the Javits Center on August 18, 2024 in New York City.
Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

“If Jake comes in and gets his rhythm, then he can get momentum and be problematic for Mike down the line. But if Mike goes out there and says ‘you know what, I’m just going to go balls to the wall to get it over with,’ then that’s the best he can do.

“If you let Jake feel comfortable, he’s going to be dangerous… If Mike tells the truth (about his training), it’s going to be tough for Jake. But we don’t know if Mike’s telling the truth.”

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