Mike Tyson Steps Back Into The Ring 19 Years After His Last Professional Fight

Just 48 hours left before the massive boxing battle between two of the most hyped stars, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. Originally set for early this year, the event had to be rescheduled following a flare-up in Tyson’s ulcers during his flight. Hitting back from that health scare for Tyson, however seems to have no intentions of slowing him down-the 58-year-old boxing legend is now set for final preparations so as to be in great shape for this week’s big event.

Tyson’s Workouts: A Gruel Schedule at 58

Tyson, who hadn’t fought professionally in nearly 10 years, is clearly keen to return to the ring against a YouTuber-turned-boxer with a very respectable pro record of 10-1. And although Tyson is 21 years older than Paul, he claims to have considerably stepped up his training program in readiness for the bout. According to those around him, his current training schedule runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and, allegedly, Tyson will stop at nothing to ensure that he’s ready when the bell rings.

However, a concern has been raised by Tyson’s coach on the high-intensity workout schedule. Former world champion boxer George Groves questioned whether six-hour training sessions are worth for a boxer of Tyson’s age. He emphasized that because an athlete ages with time, his recovery period is longer than before.

“Who knows what kind of training Tyson’s doing. Six hours a day, whatever—is that useful to him or not? Is that the truth or not? It takes a bit longer to recover the older you get. If he’s in the gym grafting for six hours a day, it’s not really giving him much time to recover. That might just be a little nugget for us to kind of digest,” Groves said in an interview with BestOffshoreSportsbooks.

Tyson is back in the ring

While Tyson has not competed professionally since his 2005 loss to Kevin McBride, he is emerging from retirement for an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020. That matchup at age 58 had the 58-year-old Tyson somewhat competitive, but the pressure is great this time around as he prepares for his first official fight in nearly two decades. Paul, meanwhile, has been gradually increasing the level of activity within the boxing world since making his professional debut in 2020.

Although Tyson has been training hard, the influence of his MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro can be seen in his training. Rafael Cordeiro has also trained UFC legend Anderson Silva and is working with Tyson to blend mixed martial arts-inspired techniques into his complete boxing regime.

Groves: “I think Tyson is the best dancer I have ever coached. Tyson felt he had done enough because of his great fights.”.

Groves is very much experienced in the boxing world and believes that a mixed martial arts approach will really help Tyson gain enough toughness and stamina to fight against a younger active opponent like Paul.

“I believe it has to be a hard man to train Tyson, and usually, guys from the backgrounds of mixed martial arts have very clever, old-school, non-conventional methods. They are usually tough guys, so I can imagine that is what Tyson has leant into. He wants to be quick, he wants to be powerful, but he wants to be tough too, so maybe that’s what we will see,” Groves added.

The Showdown: What to Expect

Second on the card is a Tyson-Paul fight-one of the marquee matchups featured in an all-action event hosted by Netflix. Beyond the headliner, fans will see a thrilling rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, the second meeting between the two after their thrilling 2022 showdown at Madison Square Garden. Taylor outmaneuvered Serrano in a split-decision victory, and their return will only intensify the buzz as they will now lace up for a throwdown into the ring.

Conclusion: The Stage Is Set

The whole world is waiting for the big fight as Tyson and Paul, and the electrifying undercard prepare for battle. Will Tyson’s experienced old-school training finally work against Paul’s youth and energy? Or will Paul prove himself as the rising boxing star? Fans won’t have to wait long to find out.

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