Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will clash inside the boxing ring on July 20th, and coach Rafael Cordeiro is extremely excited to prepare the boxing legend for the task.
Cordeiro, who made his name in the MMA world as Chute Boxe's Muay Thai coach before opening Kings MMA in California, said Paul was in shock at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“This fight is not going to be a bloodbath. It's going to be a very technical fight because my opponent is a kid who can box and is not afraid,” Cordeiro said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “Mike's hand is so heavy that it would be impossible not to touch Jake. Jake will feel Mike's hand, there is no other way, and then we have an idea of how the fight will go. It will be interesting to see.”
Paul has 9 wins and 1 loss as a professional boxer, with six knockouts. Tyson will be 58 by the time he steps into the ring, but Cordeiro believes Paul will “panic” if his hands start landing.
“Panic, he's going to panic,” Cordeiro laughed. “That's the goal. Our goal is to keep Jake in a panic for the entire fight. Or as long as he can hold out.”
However, Cordeiro praised Paul's boxing career, saying, “This kid stopped being a YouTuber a long time ago and became a full-fledged boxer,” and Paul deserves respect from the martial arts world.
“He's had great matches against great champions, he's played against good opponents, and he's had a relatively good career, not only financially but also in terms of entertainment,” Cordeiro said. “And on the other side, [Tyson], he has inherited many generations. ”
According to Cordeiro, Tyson vs. Paul is an official boxing match. Tyson's most recent boxing match, against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, was declared an exhibition by the California Athletic Commission. However, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) told MMA Fighting on July 20 that they “have not received the proposed card and therefore do not know the details of what they are planning.” He said no decision had been made. All matches are subject to review and approval by TDLR. ”
“Unlike the first camp, [Tyson] It won't disappear even after 15 years [from the ring]” Cordeiro said. “He's been training ever since and it's made a big difference. I'm sure he'll get better. There's still four months left in the fight, so he'll be ready.”
“There's an age difference, and there are other factors as well.” [Paul] “He's competing more often, but he's playing against people with a huge amount of experience,” he continued. “Mike hasn't trained in a while, but when he comes back he's so explosive and moves like he never stopped. It's more about technique than who hits the hardest. Jake is a good boxer. I can't say otherwise. He has won fights, but his losses were split decisions to legitimate boxers, not MMA champions, and that shows his kid knows how to box. is showing.”
Days after the fight was announced, Tyson and Cordeiro shared a video of the boxing legend hitting the pads on his first day of camp, with Cordeiro saying Tyson was feeling good. He added a 2023 video showing Tyson walking with crutches that shouldn't raise any red flags.
“He's had bad back pain since he was a kid,” Cordeiro said. “We always take care of his back during training. He moves a lot from side to side, which puts a strain on him. He travels a lot, so he has to straighten up after a long plane ride. I was using it for that purpose.”
