Boxing legend makes dramatic U-turn on Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight

Both Paul and Tyson are scheduled to spell head-to-head connected Friday, November 15 astatine the AT&T Stadium successful Arlington, Texas successful beforehand of up to 90,000 fans

Boxing royalty Bernard Hopkins has backed Mike Tyson and Jake Paul to service up a dainty for fans - contempt primitively slating the fight.

The 2 stars are acceptable to spell head-to-head on November 15 astatine the AT&T Stadium successful Texas successful what promises to beryllium an intriguing nighttime of boxing. While galore are highly-anticipating the main event, determination are a fewer wrong the boxing assemblage who person slammed the determination to spell up with the fight, particularly aft 'Iron Mike' was forced to retreat from the archetypal contention successful July aft suffering an ulcer flare up connected a flight.

In an interrogation with Fight Hub TV earlier this year, Hall of Fame combatant Hopkins labelled the combat arsenic "degrading". “I don’t similar it. I look astatine Mike antithetic successful the mode of my era, similar radical looked astatine Ali", helium said. "And I looked astatine Ali antithetic too, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Robinson".

He added: "I deliberation it’s go much of a sideshow, with immoderate sweat, possibly immoderate humor if we lucky. I won’t ticker it. I could ticker 2 turtles contention and beryllium much excited … It’s due to the fact that of however I look astatine Mike Tyson. I shared, not lone the ringing with Mike Tyson a fewer times, but the era. Right? A small extremity of the era. I conscionable deliberation it degrades him.”

However, with conscionable 1 week to spell until the clash, it seems arsenic if the 59-year-old has present made a U-turn connected his comments and is present chomping astatine the spot to spot the brace spell head-to-head. “I deliberation it’s a large mode of showing the world that entertainment", he said. "What I’ve done and what I’m promoting close present [through] Golden Boy and my spouse Oscar De La Hoya is entertainment. This is amusement but it’s besides boxing connected the highest, unsafe level.

"You can’t transcript that successful immoderate mode oregon pretending. You don’t unreal successful this sport. You play basketball, you play football, you play hockey, you play soccer, you play golf, but you don’t play boxing. Boxing is simply a athletics you don’t play".

Weighing successful connected the heavyweight showdown successful Texas, Hopkins added: “I deliberation either of them tin bushed each different if they person the close strategy and spell successful with the close intent to really bushed each different up and marque it what radical judge it is. But I don’t deliberation they’re gonna spell each the mode out. I deliberation it’s gonna beryllium sweat, possibly immoderate blood, but I don’t deliberation that it’s gonna beryllium thing we’re utilized to seeing if you’re saying it’s boxing. But if it’s entertainment, you’re gonna get what you expected to get”.

'The Problem Child' comes into the showdown disconnected the backmost of a triumph against erstwhile UFC combatant Mike Perry backmost successful July. As for Tyson, the boxing seasoned hasn't fought a nonrecreational contention since suffering a decision to erstwhile Irish boxer Kevin McBride backmost successful 2005. While 'Iron Mike' hung up his gloves that night, helium did instrumentality to the ringing 4 years agone successful an accumulation showdown with chap fable Roy Jones Jr.

In a caller interview with MMANYTT, Jones Jr shared his authoritative prediction for the upcoming contest: “I judge successful Mike, apt via decision. But if helium wants to decorativeness it, helium can. Yet, if he’s conscionable looking to bask the fight, helium mightiness instrumentality it dilatory and person immoderate fun".