Jake Paul warned he ‘won’t be able to take that’ with Mike Tyson compared to animal ahead of boxing fight

Roy Jones Jr has warned Jake Paul that he ‘won’t be able to take’ a punch from Mike Tyson ahead of their fight in July.

It was recently confirmed the two men would do battle in the ring later this year, despite a huge 30-year age gap between the two fighters.

Tyson will be participating in his first bout in four years, having previously gone up against Jones Jr back in 2020.

While the boxing icon is 57, training footage of the American has fans convinced that he still possesses the talent of old.

And Jones Jr, speaking to Shane Mosley, has warned Paul that he might struggle to take a punch from Tyson due to his formidable ability – while also saying his former opponent punches like a ‘mule’.

“Mike Tyson is still the strongest puncher that I’ve ever been in the ring with,” he said.

“The first time he hit me in the chest, it felt like a mule had kicked me in the chest.

“And if he hits anybody with a shot like that, they are either going out or down, especially guys who are not used to being hit like that.

“With these types of people like Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis, these guys are bigger and can take it.

“But Jake Paul, I don’t think he’s going to be able to take that.

“It might hit him on the chin like that, we’ll see, but it’s going to be tough [for him].”

Tyson was, at the peak of his powers, one of the best heavyweights in boxing history.

Yet while fans are looking forward to his showdown with Paul, it’s a battle that has divided the boxing world.

Some have criticised the pair for agreeing to fight, especially given there’s 30 years between the duo.

And UFC legend Randy Couture thinks Tyson is fighting Paul to show that boxers, rather than YouTubers, belong at the highest level.

“Even at 58 [Tyson is currently 57, and will be 58 by fight night], Mike is as explosive as he ever was and Mike’s firing on all cylinders now,” he told talkSPORT.

“I think he’s going to be very tough to deal with for Jake, but it’s going to be interesting.”

Couture added: “I think there’s a little more at stake here for Mike.

“I think Mike sees some of these crossover fights and what’s going on, and how that’s affecting boxing and people’s perception of boxing.

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“If you take him at his word, he wants to kind of straighten some of that rhetoric out.

“He’s saying ‘Hey this isn’t as easy as Jake Paul is making it look’ – he’s fighting for boxing in many ways, against a YouTuber and social media guy who has made his way up.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how that fight unfolds.

“Watching the training footage of Mike Tyson, you have flashbacks to him in his prime and that’s pretty scary, pretty remarkable.”