‘Hard to see him so old’ – Jon Jones gives damning verdict on Mike Tyson and rubbishes Jake Paul ‘mercy’ claims
Jon Jones found Mike Tyson’s eagerly-awaited boxing brawl with Jake Paul difficult to watch. The heavyweight legend — who revealed he almost died a few months ago — was beaten by 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer on Friday night in an underwhelming unanimous decision at the Dallas Cowboys‘ AT&T Stadium. Tyson’s experience was no match for Paul’s youth and athleticismGetty A day later, Jones was in UFC action for the first time since March 2023, knocking out Stipe Miocic with a thunderous spinning-kick KO to defend his heavyweight strap. Despite the proximity of the two mega bouts, ‘Bones’ still got the chance to take in Tyson and Paul’s Netflix extravaganza. However, 58-year-old ‘Iron Mike’ looked a shadow of his former self, landing just 18 of his 97 total punches, and Jones admitted it was ‘really hard to see’. “I did catch the fight,” Jones told reporters after his win at Madison Square Garden in New York City. “It was hard to see him [Tyson] so old. Roy Jones Jr kept saying it ‘man, those legs aren’t working’. It was really hard to see. “He really sold it with the highlight videos of him training and his physique… It was hard to watch, but I respect him so much for getting in there, that was the cool part. I’m sure they compensated him very well. “Also, he got to give a bunch of fans what they wanted which is just to be alive to see him compete. And for that part alone I thank him and I’m sure a lot of us thank him.” Tyson lacked any of the explosiveness that once made him ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’, and many believed ‘The Problem Child’ took it easy on him throughout the eight rounds. “Yeah, definitely a bit,” Paul told reporters at the post-fight press conference, when asked if he went easy on Tyson. “I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.” However, Jones rejects the notion that Paul showed ‘mercy’ on Mike, suggesting it was just him playing the fight smart. Jones said it was ‘hard to watch’ Tyson as he struggled to even land a shot on PaulGetty Jones, who KO’s heavyweight legend Miocic in his own blockbuster, said he didn’t think Paul took it easy on TysonGetty “I don’t think Jake gave him mercy,” Jones said. “I think Jake played it smart and that’s what it was. I think Jake knows that ‘you’re winning, let’s stop while you’re ahead and let’s coast and get through this fight’. “Because Mike can drop anyone with just one shot, his legs weren’t working but that upper body was still moving and those punches were still swinging and I didn’t view it as Jake giving him mercy, Jake coasted through that like an intelligent fighter would.” The 37-year-old MMA great also addressed on of the most viral incidents from the Tyson vs Paul spectacle. With moments to go before their ring walks, Tyson was being interviewed in his dressing room by son Amir. But as he turned around, Tyson’s bare backside was exposed as the camera zoomed out. Boxing fans tuning in couldn’t quite believe what they were witnessing and Jones was one of them. “I wish he wouldn’t have shown us his a**, that was a little wild,” Jones joked. “I was like ‘Mike, you didn’t have to do that’. Mike’s a freak I bet, Mike you old nasty old man. You old dirty b******, you.”
Jon Jones found Mike Tyson’s eagerly-awaited boxing brawl with Jake Paul difficult to watch.
The heavyweight legend — who revealed he almost died a few months ago — was beaten by 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer on Friday night in an underwhelming unanimous decision at the Dallas Cowboys‘ AT&T Stadium.
A day later, Jones was in UFC action for the first time since March 2023, knocking out Stipe Miocic with a thunderous spinning-kick KO to defend his heavyweight strap.
Despite the proximity of the two mega bouts, ‘Bones’ still got the chance to take in Tyson and Paul’s Netflix extravaganza.
However, 58-year-old ‘Iron Mike’ looked a shadow of his former self, landing just 18 of his 97 total punches, and Jones admitted it was ‘really hard to see’.
“I did catch the fight,” Jones told reporters after his win at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“It was hard to see him [Tyson] so old. Roy Jones Jr kept saying it ‘man, those legs aren’t working’. It was really hard to see.
“He really sold it with the highlight videos of him training and his physique… It was hard to watch, but I respect him so much for getting in there, that was the cool part. I’m sure they compensated him very well.
“Also, he got to give a bunch of fans what they wanted which is just to be alive to see him compete. And for that part alone I thank him and I’m sure a lot of us thank him.”
Tyson lacked any of the explosiveness that once made him ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’, and many believed ‘The Problem Child’ took it easy on him throughout the eight rounds.
“Yeah, definitely a bit,” Paul told reporters at the post-fight press conference, when asked if he went easy on Tyson. “I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.”
However, Jones rejects the notion that Paul showed ‘mercy’ on Mike, suggesting it was just him playing the fight smart.
“I don’t think Jake gave him mercy,” Jones said.
“I think Jake played it smart and that’s what it was. I think Jake knows that ‘you’re winning, let’s stop while you’re ahead and let’s coast and get through this fight’.
“Because Mike can drop anyone with just one shot, his legs weren’t working but that upper body was still moving and those punches were still swinging and I didn’t view it as Jake giving him mercy, Jake coasted through that like an intelligent fighter would.”
The 37-year-old MMA great also addressed on of the most viral incidents from the Tyson vs Paul spectacle.
With moments to go before their ring walks, Tyson was being interviewed in his dressing room by son Amir.
But as he turned around, Tyson’s bare backside was exposed as the camera zoomed out.
Boxing fans tuning in couldn’t quite believe what they were witnessing and Jones was one of them.
“I wish he wouldn’t have shown us his a**, that was a little wild,” Jones joked.
“I was like ‘Mike, you didn’t have to do that’. Mike’s a freak I bet, Mike you old nasty old man. You old dirty b******, you.”
