Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is ‘Rocky Balboa’ Retold Almost 2 Decades Later

Mike Tyson's return to the ring at 58 has shades of Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky Balboa".

(via @miketyson, @rockymovie - Instagram)

The scenes of Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul feel oddly familiar. 

A Real-Life Rocky Story

Tyson comes out of retirement at 58 years old to face a newer name to the sport, Jake Paul, who's out to get respect with a win over the beloved heavyweight champion. 

Does this story ring any bells? It does for me, the unexpected matchup reminiscent of Rocky Balboa, the 2006 boxing film starring Sylvester Stallone in what was his last fight as "Rocky", lacing up the gloves despite his son and the rest of the world telling him not to.

Rocky was roughly the same age as Tyson when he was approached with a fight offer he couldn’t refuse against heavyweight champ Mason Dixon after a simulation on TV stirred up conversations on who’d win prime-for-prime.

Fan Surprises Mike Tyson Before Jake Paul Fight - "You Robbed Me When I Was a Kid"

Facing "father time"', media backlash, and some trouble getting licensed through an athletic commission in his fifties, Rocky would shock his fictional world, nearly beating Dixon on the scorecards rather than being taken out in the first round, which many pundits are predicting will happen to the gamble-taking Tyson.

After all, “The Italian Stallion” defied the odds because Sylvester Stallone had it written that way.

Tyson's Underdog Status

But Tyson has proved people wrong all of his life, going from a street thug like Rocky Balboa to the heavyweight champion of the world, now just a few days out from a fight many thought he wouldn’t make it to after his past withdrawal earlier this summer.

Boxing legend Mike Tyson. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

What’s left in the tank for “Iron” Mike at 58? Well, we’re gonna find out how many “hurtin' bombs” are in store for the boxing legend, with the power shots in the early rounds his obvious key to victory against Paul, who’s much quicker at 27 years younger. 

While Jake keeps talking, I’m going to keep training. Going to fuck him up#PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/HlCYaFq4ok

— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) October 19, 2024

For Paul, he's taking a risk himself in this fight against Tyson. A loss to the retired "Iron" Mike could very well kill his career, which he's made off of beating older UFC fighters and boxers.

There's not much upside from beating Tyson, who's more than 30 years removed from his prime. But still, a win is a win, with more eyeballs than ever on Netflix this Friday.

Going the distance would be a victory in itself for Mike Tyson - we'll see if he lasts that long in fight that's scheduled for eight two-minute rounds.

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