Paulie Malignaggi has decided on Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson: “He is taking a big risk”

Mike Tyson's return to the ring to face Jake Paul drew considerable criticism from the boxing world.

Tyson last fought as a professional in 2005, but now, at the age of 58, he will step into the ropes to face 27-year-old Paul, who has already fought 11 professional fights against mostly inexperienced opponents but is dedicated in the gym, stays active and has strong punching power.

These are just three reasons why many consider the fight to be dangerous. Speaking to Canada Casino, Paulie Malignaggi made it clear that he clearly belongs to this camp.

“Head blows from young, strong guys Mike's age are not good. When you're younger, you can take a beating better. When you're older, your body is no longer made for such injuries. Things can go badly wrong. If something like that happened, people would demand a ban on the sport.”

The former world champion believes someone should stop the fight before it comes to that.

“Personally, I don't think his fight with Jake Paul should happen. He'll be 58. 58 is still 58. We live in a generation that doesn't understand that aging is a real thing. You can show highlights of Mike from the '80s, but the guy who steps in the ring won't be the same Mike Tyson. You sell pay-per-views based on nostalgia, not reality. The fact that the public won't understand that is mind-boggling.

In the 80s, you wouldn't have done that. Imagine Joe Frazier fighting in his 60s. Jake Paul may not be a world-class boxer, but he's certainly not a novice. He's been boxing for about five years. After four years of boxing, I won the US championship, so Jake is anything but a novice. He's strong and young.

Beating someone Tyson's age carries serious risks. Tyson couldn't take punches well at 36, let alone today. When you hit a guy that old, it affects him. Imagine what it would do to him if a strong guy like Jake hit him. I don't want to find out.”

After a medical problem with Tyson led to a postponement, the two will now face each other on November 15th in eight rounds of two minutes each.