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Eddie Hearn has criticised the ‘disgusting’ upcoming bout between former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
Tyson, who has not fought professionally in 19 years, will be 58 by the time he squares off against 27-year-old Paul at the AT&T Stadium – the home of the Dallas Cowboys – in July, with the fight set to be livestreamed on Netflix.
While the bout has now been officially categorised as an exhibition, it has still caused controversy due to the 30-year age gap between the fighters.
When asked about the fight on Piers Morgan Uncensored, promoter Hearn said: ‘I think we live in a crazy world, don’t we, where that younger generation is built off views, built off narrative, built off controversy.
‘And as a hardcore fight fan, someone who has been around boxing since I was nine years old, I find it disgusting that a 58-year-old man – who was my hero growing up – firstly has to even get back in the ring.
‘From a financial point of view, with the amount of money that man was paid or partially paid during his career, to get in a ring with a 25-year-old guy who can’t really fight.
‘I understand it, and I was speaking to the Netflix guys. I don’t think they liked my criticism of the event, (but) I’m never going to lie to you, I’m never going to sugarcoat it.
‘I’m just going to give you my honest opinion, which is: It will sell, people will watch, it’ll be a big event, and I don’t like it.’
Last month, Tyson’s trainer Rafael Cordeiro dismissed fears over his fighter’s health, while Paul has hit back at the criticism, pointing to the huge social media interest in the matchup.
‘No fight ever has done these numbers in terms of face-off views and Instagram reels,’ he said.
‘Just on our main pages alone, it’s like 50 or 60 million Instagram views on both of our posts. Not to mention every single other sports page posting it.’
‘This is, in my mind, the biggest fight the world will ever see.’
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