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    Boxing

    Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul: Who has the edge going into the fight?

    Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul: Who has the edge going into the fight?Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix
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    DAZN's Mark Lelinwalla breaks it all down.

    After a weigh-in where Mike Tyson slapped Jake Paul across the face, the boxing world - and beyond - awaits fireworks at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Friday night.

    At 58, The Baddest Man on the Planet's age next to his 27-year-old foe has been a sticking point to this fight, as has the gulf in ring experience for The Problem Child.

    But as the former world champion prepares to face the YouTuber-turned-boxer, who really has the edge? DAZN analyzes the pair in several categories to find out.

    Boxing skills

    Mike Tyson’s peek-a-boo style of getting low, tremoring forward with agility and exploding with a hook to the body and an uppercut to the head are things of legend … well, because he is a legend.

    Yes, Paul continues to improve as a boxer. However, when it comes to skills and technique, Tyson is a trendsetter, fathering the styles of many who have tried to take pieces of his fight game and add it to their own.

    Even at 58, a glance at his training footage will show you he’s still got it.

    Edge: Tyson

    Power

    Mike TysonEsther Lin/ Most Valuable Promotions

    Paul counts seven of his 10 wins by the way of knockout, so there’s power that he can detonate from his 6'1" frame.  Meanwhile, of Tyson’s 50 victories, 44 have come by KO.

    One of boxing's oldest adages is power is the last thing to leave a fighter.

    If Tyson catches Paul cleanly with something explosive, the expectation is for the Ohio native to wake up off the canvas.

    Edge: Tyson

    Experience

    As one of the greatest of all time, Tyson’s opponents have been fellow Hall of Famers such as Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes and more.

    Iron Mike packs a record of 50 wins, 6 losses and 2 no contests, including 44 knockouts, having last fought Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match draw in November 2020.

    Paul, dating back to 2020, has amassed a 10-1 record (7 KOs). Six of his wins have come against MMA fighters, while he touts one victory over a fellow YouTuber and another against a former NBA player.

    He has wins over boxers Andre August and Ryan Bourland in December 2023 and this past March respectively, but lost to Tommy Fury in February 2023.

    Edge: Tyson

    Stamina

    Jake PaulEsther Lin/ Most Valuable Promotions

    At 58, The Baddest Man on the Planet looked shredded on the scales at the weigh-in on Thursday, showing he’s clearly in great shape for his age.

    But when it comes to those latter words. Tyson’s age cannot be ignored or overlooked here. The mere fact he’s fighting so close to 60 presents danger.

    As great shape that Tyson appears to be in, Paul, more than three decades his junior, has the edge when it comes to stamina.

    If he can box his opponent and keep him at a safe distance, he has youthful endurance on his side that can possibly have him overcoming his lack of experience.

    Edge: Paul

    Mental Warfare

    The buildup to this fight has had Tyson and Paul vowing to win convincingly.

    Tyson also referred to Paul as a “manufactured killer,” while dubbing himself a “natural born killer.”

    Then, when Paul got a little too close and stepped on Tyson’s foot during their final faceoff at the weigh-in, “The Baddest Man on the Planet” responded by slapping the YouTuber boxer, throwing Paul into a frenzy.

    As much as Paul has embraced being the villain willing to crush a generation of hardcore boxing fans raised on Tyson fights by vowing to knock Tyson out, “Iron Mike” gets the edge here too.

    Some might feel that Tyson slapping Paul showed a breakdown in the former heavyweight world champ’s mindset. But the slap set off an emotional outburst from Paul that he possibly didn’t prepare for fully.

    Paul embracing the underdog role — with even a majority of the other fighters on the card picking Tyson to win — gives the Cleveland native a healthy chip on his shoulder to make this a close one. But it’s Tyson taking this category by a slim margin.

    Edge: Tyson

    So which fighter has the edge going into this fight across five categories? It’s Mike Tyson, 4-1.

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