Jake Paul has been warned that he won't be able to stop Mike Tyson from closing the gap in their boxing fight.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul takes on boxing icon 'Iron Mike' on July 20 at the Dallas Cowboys stadium in Texas. Paul has faced heavy criticism for fighting Tyson given the 57-year-old is decades past his prime and hasn't fought in a professional contest since quitting on his stool in 2005.
Tyson went eight rounds against fellow legend Roy Jones Jr in an unscored exhibition fight four years ago and Jones has now given his take on the fight. "If they fight a real fight and Mike is in shape, it's going to be real problematic for Jake. If he's not in shape and Jake doesn't get caught with big shots early then he will win," Jones told Shane Mosley.
"Jake is not going to fight in close and Jake can't stay away from him because Mike is going to close the gap real quick. I thought I could stay away from him and I couldn't stay away from him, I know that I'm better at staying away from people than Jake is. That's why Jake put the weight on.
"He knows he isn't going to be able to stay away from him, he is hoping that a bit of muscle will push him backwards and keep him off him. [Mike] is getting big enough to try and tie him up when he gets close and push him back right away. Jake doesn't fight as well as going backwards as he does coming forward."
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Many of the fight rules for Paul vs Tyson are unclear, such as the amount of rounds and contracted weight. Paul weighed in at just under 200lb for his last two fights whilst 'Iron Mike' weighed 220lb for his fight against Jones. Paul has been bulking up in training as he looks to be a similar weight to Tyson on fight night.
"I just saw Jake yesterday, he’s 230 pounds," Mosley added. "He’s big, really big. He said that he feels as fast as he was at 185lbs and he's still young. He looked like he was comfortable in the weight, so I know that Mike Tyson has to fight in close. He likes to bob and weave and get close."