Joe Rogan on Mike Tyson fighting Jake Paul at 58 years old… 'I wish he didn't do it; I wish it wasn't a thing'
05/09/2024 12:53
As the November date for Jake Paul and Mike Tyson's controversial boxing fight looms larger by the day, more and more experts from the world of combat sports are coming out to condemn the matchup.
The divisive fight was originally scheduled for July 20, before being postponed following the legendary boxing champion suffering a medical emergency; an ulcer flareup during a domestic flight between Miami and LA.
Jake Paul says there's no need for a backup fighter over Tyson's health
Between the ulcer issue and the fact that he recently celebrated his 58th birthday, almost the entirety of the combat sports world has concerns over Mike Tyson's health – with many being worried that there could be serious implications if he faces 'The Problem Child' in November.
Everyone apart from Jake Paul himself, who told TMZ Sports earlier this week how there's currently no plans to have a backup fighter in place, should Tyson fail to make the ringwalk for the second time.
"I don't have concerns, he's doing great. He's super healthy behind the scenes and feeling great. That's what we're focused on, and there's not a backup currently… A pro-fight means war, and I don't take it lightly. You can get seriously hurt or injured in there so if you're not in there to go to war, then you should just get out."
Joe Rogan wishes that Mike Tyson wasn't boxing Jake Paul at 58
Yet for every 'reassurance' from Paul, Tyson, or the promoters, there are a whole host of combat sports experts who are stating that the boxing fight shouldn't be going ahead at all – including UFC commentator, Joe Rogan.
"I wish he didn't do it; I wish it wasn't a thing," he told UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad on the latest episode of the JRE Podcast.
"I wish it wasn't a thing where a 58-year-old guy was going to fight a 28-year-old; that said, I fully support his desire to do it… What is he going to live forever? No, he's not going to live forever [and] maybe he wants one more shot at it, maybe his body can do one more fight."
Whilst Rogan admitted that the iconic boxing champion can still impress fans worldwide with his work on the training mitts, that's far from being comparable to a full training session.
"He looks great on the mitts but it's like I can look good on the mitts, especially if you're watching 30-second clips, what you want to see is him sparring or hitting the bag for multiple rounds – I want to see how your feet move, if you're off balance when you throw combinations.
"But he's 58 – I love that guy, I'm a gigantic fan of his… The question is how much does he have left today? 58 today is not 58 when I was 21, it's a different 58 and especially if they're not testing him."
Despite his concerns about Tyson's health, both the veteran commentator and welterweight king stated that they are still going to be ready to watch the drama unfold on November 15.
"How much does he want to do it, is he doing it for money, how much does he have left in the tank – those are all questions that'll make me buy the PPV.
"I'm going to feel bad if he gets knocked out… Conventional wisdom would say that this is a terrible fight, conventional wisdom would say there's a 28-year-old with knockout power, real fast, young, f***** athletic and bold as s***."
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson is scheduled for November 15, live exclusively on Netflix.
