Sports

Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul

Published

1 month ago

November 14, 2024

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul

Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul

Nearly 40 years after making his professional debut, and 19 years after being battered into retirement, a 58-year-old Mike Tyson will climb back into the ring on Friday for a Netflix-backed bout that has drawn widespread condemnation across the boxing world.

Tyson, who terrorised the heavyweight division during an imperious reign in the late 1980s, is lacing up the gloves once more to take on Youtuber Jake Paul, 27, in an officially sanctioned fight at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.

The fight, which will be comprised of eight two-minute rounds, was initially due to take place in July but was postponed in May after Tyson required medical treatment on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles after vomiting blood due to a bleeding ulcer.

That gory mid-air emergency has provided another piece of ammunition for the numerous critics who have condemned Friday’s contest as a macabre circus act that poses an unacceptable level of risk for Tyson, who last graced a professional ring in 2005, when he was beaten via a technical knockout after quitting on his stool against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride.

– ‘It shouldn’t be happening’ –

“Twenty years ago, Mike Tyson retired from boxing, and was shot to pieces, right? I mean, completely shot,” the prominent British fight promoter Eddie Hearn said this week.

“If anyone thinks that Mike Tyson should be in a ring at this age, you either have absolutely no emotional feelings toward the man, or you’re an idiot. It shouldn’t be happening.”

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Hearn’s rival promoter Frank Warren echoed those sentiments.

“Mike Tyson is 58 years of age and he shouldn’t be fighting,” Warren said after the bout was announced. “It’s as simple as that.

“Anyone with an ounce of brains knows that it is ridiculous. You can be on a motorway stuck in a traffic jam and you get to the end of it and all it is is people who have stopped to look at a crash — and that’s what this is.”

Tyson, who US reports say is being paid around $20 million for Friday’s contest, has brushed off the concerns for his wellbeing, insisting when critics from the boxing world are motivated by jealousy.

“I’m beautiful, that’s all I can say,” he said earlier this year. “The people who said that wish they were up here. No-one else can do this.”

At an open workout in Texas this week, Tyson declared that a gruelling training camp had left him with the conviction “that I’m tougher than I believed I was.”

“When I agreed to this fight and started training, I thought ‘What was I thinking of?’ But I’ve finished the process. The fight is the party. All the hard work is done.”

At a final press conference in Texas on Wednesday, a stony-faced Tyson pointedly declined to engage in the pre-fight hype.

“I’m just ready to fight,” he said. “I’m looking forward to fighting.”

– Injury fears –

A global audience of several million watching on Netflix, and tens of thousands inside the AT&T Stadium, will be watching on Friday to see whether Tyson’s hard work pays off.

His opponent Paul — who was born six months before Tyson bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear in their infamous 1997 rematch — rose to prominence as a Youtuber, before turning his attention to boxing.

Since his first fight against a fellow Youtuber in 2018, Paul’s opponents have included a basketball player, mixed martial arts fighters and other professional boxers. In 11 fights he has won 10 (seven by knockout) and lost one.

“I feel really good, sharp, powerful and explosive. It’s going to be a short night for Mike,” Paul said at Tuesday’s open workout, where he appeared wearing a bizarre head-dress in the form of a rooster.

It goes without saying that a prime, 1980s-era Tyson would almost certainly have dealt with Paul within a few minutes.

Does he retain enough residue of the talent and destructive power that made him the youngest heavyweight champion in history in 1986, at the age of 20 years and four months? Bob Arum, the legendary 92-year-old boxing promoter who has seen it all, is unequivocal.

“The answer is no,” Arum told Secondsout.com last month. “A 58-year-old guy, no matter how good they were, no matter how athletic they were, are not gonna be able to fight.

“You can’t throw punches like you’re supposed to, you can’t do a lot of things. I hope Mike doesn’t get hurt, but I really give him relatively no chance.”

Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul

Sports

Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star

Published

11 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Trends Admin

Lionel Messi and Tijjani Reijnders

Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star

AC Milan midfielder, Tijjani Reijnders, has shared the reason behind naming his dog after Argentina football legend, Lionel Messi.

The 26-year-old Dutchman, who joined AC Milan from AZ Alkmaar in 2023 for a reported €20 million, said Messi had always been his idol.

Reijnders explained that he made the decision to name his dog Messi due to his admiration for the legendary player.

“My dog’s name is Messi, when I was young I always said if I got a dog I would name him Messi, because for me [he] is the best player in the world,” Reijnders said in an interview with All About Argentina.

“Then we decided we would get a dog, and the first thing I said to my wife is if we got a dog we would name him Messi.”

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Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the US after an illustrious career at Barcelona, is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

He has won the Ballon d’Or record eight times and is the highest goalscorer in the history of European football, with 704 goals and 303 assists in 853 games. Additionally, he has scored 112 goals and assisted 58 in 191 matches in the US.

Reijnders’ dog is a Pomsky, a crossbreed between a Pomeranian and a Husky, as he had previously revealed in an interview with Sempremilan.

The midfielder’s deep admiration for Messi has now extended to his furry companion, making the dog’s name a tribute to the football icon.

Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star

Sports

Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points

Published

11 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Trends Admin

Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points

Leaders Liverpool strengthened their grip at the top of the Premier League after coming from behind to defeat struggling Leicester City and move seven points clear.

Leicester had lost five of their previous seven matches but stunned Anfield by taking the lead through Jordan Ayew’s sharp sixth-minute finish.

Liverpool endured a frustrating half as Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah hit the post and crossbar respectively before Cody Gakpo levelled right on the stroke of half-time with a lovely curling finish from the edge of the box.

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That lifted the hosts who took the lead for the first time just four minutes into the second half, Curtis Jones marking his 100th Premier League appearance by turning in Alexis Mac Allister’s cross.

Leicester, who dropped into the relegation zone after Wolves’ win over Manchester United earlier in the day, missed a golden opportunity to equalise when Patson Daka mis-kicked in front of goal before Mohamed Salah made sure of the points when he swept home the third goal – his 19th of the season.

While they are one point from safety after a third straight defeat, Liverpool are in a commanding position at the top, with a game in hand on the two teams immediately below them.

With Liverpool next in action on Sunday at West Ham (17:15 GMT), they have an opportunity to open up a 10-point lead on nearest rivals Chelsea, who are not in action until the following day at Ipswich (19:45).

Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points

Sports

Cunha scores from corner, Wolves beat Man United

Published

11 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Trends Admin

Cunha scores from corner, Wolves beat Man United

Manchester United’s set-piece curse struck again as Matheus Cunha became the second player in three games to score directly from a corner against them as Wolves defeated them to climb out of the bottom three.

Ruben Amorim’s men were already up against it at at Molineux following the 47th-minute dismissal of skipper Bruno Fernandes for a second yellow card.

However, just as Son Hueng-min did for Tottenham a week ago, Cunha found the net with a corner that sailed over Andre Onana’s outstretched arm in a crowded six-yard box.

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The points were sealed in the eighth minute of added time when, as United chased an equaliser, Wolves broke and Cunha squared the ball for Hwang Hee-chan to make it 2-0.

In recent weeks, Amorim has tried and failed to make his side more secure but Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have also capitalised from United’s frailty at defending balls pumped into their box during a run of five defeats in seven games in all competitions.

Amorim has now collected seven points from his six league games in charge. By contrast new Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has six from two as he followed up the weekend win at Leicester with a first home victory over United since 2019.

If life was not bad enough for United, they will now be without Fernandes for the home game with Newcastle on 30 December and also midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who picked up his fifth booking of the season.