Deontay Wilder has raised fears that Mike Tyson could suffer a serious injury when he fights Jake Paul in their controversial upcoming fight and claimed ‘no one gives a f***’ about the former heavyweight world champion.
Tyson stunned the sporting world when it was revealed that he would make his professional return to the ring in a one-off contest against Yotuber-turned-boxer, Paul, on July 20.
The 57-year-old was initially expected to fight Paul in an exhibition clash, before it was later commissioned to be a professional bout by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR).
Former unified heavyweight world champion, Tyson, has looked in great shape after sharing snaps of him smashing the pads and sparring in the gym, but Wilder doesn’t agree with the fight being allowed to ahead.
Wilder – who is set to fight Zhilei Zhang on June 1 – went on an x-rated rant about Tyson being allowed to fight again and expressed concern for the senior boxer’s wellbeing.
Deontay Wilder has raised fears that Mike Tyson (pictured) could suffer a serious injury when he fights Jake Paul
Youtuber-turned-boxer Paul (pictured) is 30 years younger than former heavyweight world champion Tyson
Wilder explained how fighters of Tyson’s age have previously suffered ‘comas’ in bouts
Tyson will be 58 by fight night, with the 31-year age gap between him and Paul representing the biggest in the history of professional boxing.
‘I think it’s bad the commission has licensed Mike Tyson because he hasn’t been active in 20 years, so they should not just licence him because of who he is, that’s how people get hurt, god forbid he gets hurt, Wilder told Sportsbook Review.
‘People can get hit in the wrong place and at the wrong time, there’s lots of examples where guys have been hit into a coma. It’s easy to do. He’s too old for this.
‘At the end of the day, no one gives a f**k about Mike. We can talk about the pros and cons, but at the end of the day, they don’t give a f**k. I don’t think anyone cares about Mike because if they did they wouldn’t sanction the fight.
Tyson has been keen to share updates from his training camp ahead of his July bout
Paul and Tyson have had the bout sanctioned to be a professional ranked bout
‘They may say they’ve done tests and all that, ok, but as long as you’re willing to suffer the consequences if something bad goes wrong,’ he added.
‘His power may not have left completely but you still need to set it up, your stamina needs to be a certain way, or it’s going to look like a clown show. I don’t want to see it to be honest.
‘I don’t want the last thing I remember of him is him getting knocked out by a YouTuber. The last thing you do, that’s what people remember you by,’ continued Wilder.
Concerns for the safety of both fighters has been raised by various individuals before, but both Paul and Tyson are keen to step into the ring.