“He can still kick some a**!” Francis Ngannou reacts to coach Mike Tyson agreeing to fight Jake Paul at 58 years old

Francis Ngannou threw his support to mentor, Mike Tyson for a Jake Paul-shaped fight after being assured it was real.

“He can still kick some a**!” Francis Ngannou reacts to coach Mike Tyson agreeing to fight Jake Paul at 58 years old

Mike Tyson receives full support from recent new mentee (Source: Instagram/IMAGO)

Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson in a boxing match is happening for real! Many peers, veterans, and MMA pundits have ripped him at a stretch for opting for easy fights. Now, the 9-1 (6KOs) influencer-boxer takes the fight to the legend, with $250 billion worth streaming platform Netflix airing it live. The bout takes place at the famed AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Netflix and Paul’s MVP promotion announced the new matchup for July 20, in Arlington, Texas.

Tyson will turn 58 by the time the match rolls up. The announcement recently took the combat sphere by storm. One person who can candidly comment on it is Ex-UFC heavyweight, Francis Ngannou. ‘Iron Mike‘ mentored him during Riyadh Boxing Season 2023‘s pro-boxing debut. Speaking to MMA Junkie‘s coverage journo Mike Bohn, he said:

Of course, I’ll be there to support Mike...But he can still kick some a** – there’s no doubt about it.
Francis Ngannou to MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn
YouTube video

It’s not consequently surprising that his allegiance went to boxing Hall of Famer, Mike Tyson. As the youngest undisputed heavyweight champ, he held tenure for 3 long years. At 50-6-1, Tyson has 44 career knockouts and is the face of yesteryear boxing. He holds much gravitas in the world of boxing even today, having opened the first-ever ‘Mike Tyson’ boxing club in Riyadh.

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This was right after the extended Riyadh Boxing Season 2023 in October, where Ngannou faced lineal heavyweight Tyson Fury. Under Tyson’s tutelage, he came inch-close to knocking out Fury. All credited to a ‘Superman‘ punch that Tyson taught him. Hence, he fully trusts his mentor’s mettle going up against the likes of Jake Paul.

Where is Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson streaming?

Jake Paul announcing a legendary bout against Mike Tyson recently rocked the combat sports bubble. Accordingly, fans and peers have voiced their opinions on it. With a 30-year gap between the two, many have thus gibed at Jake Paul for taking the fight to an older boxer.

Others have, however, lauded him for making a clash with the consensus ace of boxing culture happen. Concurrently, Jake Paul also announced that Netflix will be streaming the event. The pro boxer is usually prone to having DAZN stream his fights as Pay-per-view exclusive events.

Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul airs on Netflix
Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul airs on Netflix (Source: Instagram/Twitter)

However, this time it’s different, upselling the value of the bout. The clash would be a non-title exhibition bout, deemed under the Athletic Commission regulations. Paul’s MVP – Most Valuable Productions promotion house will be promoting the matter.

The WWE, under the TKO Holdings umbrella, recently announced a future streaming deal with Netflix. So far, the streaming platform has done three previous live sports events. Paul vs. Tyson, with a million-dollar mega event fight purse, will be its first-ever live combat sports event.

By all assumptions, it’s an exhibition match. If a pro match, the Texas Combat Sports Commission would have to sanction it, thus raising the stakes. In recent history, Tyson’s last pro fight was nearly 20 years ago in 2005. Meanwhile, Jake Paul met 17-3 journeyman, Ryan Bourland in Puerto Rico last, defeating him in his 10th professional outing. It remains to be seen who fares better when such two opposite forces meet in July.

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