Stephen A. Smith is furious after hearing that the conditions for Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson have been raised.
Paul (9-1) vs. Tyson (50-6) will be officially sanctioned as a professional fight by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The game will take place on July 20th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and will be streamed live on Netflix. It will be a 8 round fight with 2 minute rounds.
Tyson will be 58 when he steps into the ring for the first time since November 2020, making him 31 years older than Paul. Smith was classified as a professional and continued to compete.
“It's sad, it's sad,” Smith said on ESPN's First Take. “I'm tired of it. I just don't like it. I'm not going to take anything away from the great Mike Tyson. Because of the years of greatness he gave us, we Everyone loves him. But he's 57 years old. And in Jake Paul's case, the only real fighter he fought was Tommy Fury. Not been. Jake Paul has been training with professional boxing trainers for years.
“When are you going to get in the ring with a famous, modern, well-regarded fighter who hasn't been retired for more than 20 years? The last time we've seen (Tyson) in the ring during this period is with Roy Jones Jr. Listen, Tyson can hurt anyone, and I'm not going to deny that. But he's never had a fight, and neither has Jake Paul. I've never fought a professional boxer before. Why does this have to be a sanctioned boxing match?”
Smith questions Paul's methods. He does not believe that his level of competition thus far reflects his desire to become a champion.
“I like Jake Paul and his commitment to the sport of boxing in terms of bringing attention to the sport and showing that you can promote yourself and not be at the mercy of promoters. Thank you,” Smith added. “But the flip side of that is that he keeps telling us how seriously he takes this and how much he wants it.
“Well, if you want the money, keep doing your job. But more than that, if you want to raise your level, you've been fighting guys smaller than you, so you've got to fight guys who are about the same size as you. You have to get in the ring with someone who is the same age and the same size.
For more information on the fight, check out MMA Junkie's Paul vs. Tyson hub.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie