'He's too strong'… WWE legend Hulk Hogan admits he fears for Mike Tyson's life in controversial Jake Paul fight
06/09/2024 18:20
Mike Tyson’s long-time friend and professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan is concerned about his upcoming return to the ring.
The legendary heavyweight champion is making his comeback at 58 to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Texas on November 15. His last professional bout took place in 2005, while he also competed in a 2020 exhibition with Roy Jones Jr.
But he now takes on a 27-year-old Paul who is an active professional boxer with four wins in a year heading into their meeting. Three of those victories were stoppages, and there are fears from fans and experts for the beloved Tyson’s health.
Hulk Hogan fears for Mike Tyson’s life as he prepares for boxing comeback
Legendary WWE superstar Hulk Hogan has been friends with Mike Tyson for decades, with the pair sharing their brightest period in the spotlight in the 80s and 90s together. And Hogan believes that there is a legitimate chance that Jake Paul does serious damage to his friend in the fight.
Hogan was in attendance as Paul knocked out Mike Perry in July, and has spent a lot of time around Tyson over the years. Speaking with Jake’s brother Logan Paul on his podcast Impaulsive, he noted his fears around the fight.
“Your brother is too strong, bro,” Hogan told the elder Paul sibling during a pre-show segment before the latest podcast episode that was caught on tape.
“Last night [at the Mike Perry fight] as soon as I saw him set the guy up with the left to throw the overhand right? I went ‘oh my God’… I mean really, It was scary. I love Mike to death, I don’t want him to kill Mike, Jesus.”
Francis Ngannou guarantees Mike Tyson will ‘whoop’ Jake Paul
However, Hogan’s fears are not shared by everyone in the world of combat sports. The lineal UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was trained in part by Tyson for his boxing debut against Tyson Fury last year, and says there are still moments of incredible speed despite his advanced age.
"I think Tyson will still beat his a** up," Ngannou told Bloody Elbow last month when asked for his thoughts on the bout during a promotional appearance for his PFL debut against Renan Ferreira. "He's definitely not as he was when he was young.
“But when he moves around you and shows you something, you're like, 'What the hell is this?' That's something that people don't understand about Mike Tyson. He moves from your left to your right in the blink of an eye."
Mike Tyson has returned to training for Jake Paul fight
The initial date for Paul vs Tyson on Netflix had to be moved from July to November when the boxing icon was forced out due to a medical issue. He suffered an ulcer flare-up during a flight that saw the event shut down temporarily.
But he has now returned to training, and is currently in a full-fledged fight camp for his showdown with Paul. Speaking with Bloody Elbow last month, he claimed to have started training again a few weeks prior to his relaunch press conference with Paul at Fanatics Fest in New York City.
"I'm beautiful and I've been training," Tyson replied when asked what his latest medical update was from doctors. "I've been training for a while, two weeks or three weeks and I'm okay to fight… I'm in camp right now."
