Tennis fan Mike Tyson is gearing up to take on Jake Paul in his comeback fight on Netflix this week.
Many boxing purists aren’t convinced that it’s in Tyson’s best interests to be stepping back into the ring at 58-years-old.
YouTube sensation and wannabe boxer Paul has been goading him for too long, however, and he’s keen to put him in his place.
The fight taking place this week sees Tyson back in the spotlight following a stunning career as a professional boxer.
Iron Mike won 50 of his 58 professional fights, with 44 coming through Tyson knocking his opponent out for the count.
The youngest man to ever become the heavyweight champion of the world and it seems he’s a big tennis fan too.
Ahead of his fight on Friday, we’ve looked at some comments he’s made in the past – most notably about Roger Federer and Coco Gauff.
The boxer Mike Tyson compared Roger Federer to
The Swiss legend won 20 Grand Slam titles, with eight of those coming at the place he called home, Wimbledon.
He is widely regarded as one of the best players to ever play the game of tennis and Tyson is a huge fan.
Speaking on the Advantage Connors Podcast in 2022, he compared Federer to an iconic boxer and also made some comments on Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
He said: “I follow Djokovic definitely and Federer. I know Djokovic personally you know but Federer, I’m a big fan of him and when I watch him he’s like Muhammad Ali in his prime, he’s always moving and when he’s in the air he’s smooth.
“Another guy is Nadal, he’s a good player but he doesn’t look as good out there as Federer when he’s playing. He’s tough.”
What Mike Tyson previously said about WTA Finals winner Coco Gauff
Interestingly, Federer wasn’t the only player to come in for some praise from Tyson back in 2022.
With Gauff winning the WTA Finals over the weekend, his comments on the USA sensation now look very interesting.
Tyson knows what it takes to be a champion in a single-person sport and he had some kind words – and some advice for Gauff.
He said on Gauff: “I think she’s amazing. She has time to develop her skills and most of the players don’t have that. She can still improve but she has loads of time.”
These comments are especially interesting as clearly Gauff is improving and having won a Grand Slam and the WTA Finals since this interview, she can now claim to have kicked on.
How to watch Mike Tyson fight against Jake Paul
This is what everyone has been waiting for and the fight will be available to watch live on Netflix on Friday night.
The main card gets underway at 8pm when Tyson will fight on a card that also sees Katie Taylor stepping back in the ring.
At 58, it’s hard to expect much from Tyson but if Paul doesn’t beat him, it will surely ask big questions over his credibility as a heavyweight boxer.
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