Jake Paul has been warned that he faces serious jeopardy in the early rounds of his upcoming fight with Mike Tyson.
Former NFL star Shawne Merriman, who is now in charge of MMA promotion LXF, believes that if the controversial heavyweight contest goes the distance, it will favour Paul. But if Tyson can pressure properly early, he reckons it may spell disaster for the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
Paul is a 27-year-old active 10-1 professional boxer, while Tyson hasn’t competed professionally since 2005, and has had just two exhibitions since then. But the YouTuber will have to move up to heavyweight for the bout, and faces an experience level he has never come close to before.
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Jake Paul picked to beat Mike Tyson if fight goes the distance
Merriman has been analyzing fights for years, and is now in the game as a promoter. And he believes that Jake Paul has been one of the most exciting fighters to watch in recent memory, given his ability to transfer audience from social media to the world of boxing.
And he reckons that if Paul can outlast a few rounds, he will beat Mike Tyson next month when they square off. “I think if it goes the distance Jake should win by a long shot,” he told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat.
“The thing is is that because Mike still has power he has the opportunity to hurt him if he can get inside and cause some damage, because I don’t think anybody has applied enough pressure to Jake.
“A couple of times Tyron Woodley had him against the ropes and I felt he could have slammed on the gas a little bit to finish the fight, but I don’t think he did. He’s not going to get that from Mike, if Mike starts to pressure him in those first few rounds he’s going to try to finish him.
“It’s not in Mike’s best interest to go the distance because of his age and wind and everything like that. It’s part of the game, age will catch up to you and it normally happens to you later in the rounds.”
Mike Tyson could give Jake Paul ‘brutal’ night, says Shawn Merriman
While there is an expectation that Paul will be too quick at his age for Tyson, Merriman reckons that the opening rounds will be vital. The former heavyweight champion will be far and away the hardest puncher that he has faced yet, and could cause serious problems early on with his pressure style.
“I’ll tell you this,” he continued. “Somebody like Mike if he gets inside enough and can land his uppercuts and shots to the body, Jake hasn’t fought anybody like that. Even a 58-year-old Mike Tyson punches on the inside and it still hurts. When you get older, what goes is your gas tank.
“It’s the ability to be efficient and still be dominant in the fourth or fifth, that’s where age kicks in. But the first three rounds? I think it’s going to be brutal for Jake, he’s going to feel pressure that he hasn’t felt, which isn’t anything against Woodley or Anderson Silva or any of the guys he’s fought.
“It’s just that Mike has a different kind of pressure when he gets on the inside. That’s where this fight can be won and lost, if he gets past the third, it’s an easy shot for Jake and it won’t even be close because Mike will be gassed.
“Jake will use his range, he has a mean right overhand that can hurt anybody including a heavyweight. So from that standpoint, you’ve got to give it to Jake.”
Shawne Merriman launches new fight streaming service
In the years since hanging up his boots, Shawne Merriman has turned his focus to the fight game. He trains in Xtreme Couture and still has eyes on a potential fight even at the age of 40, but is primarily focused on his LXF fight promotion.
Lightsout Xtreme Fighting brings its 20th show to Thunder Studios in California on Saturday night, airing live on Merriman’s Lights Out Sports network. The free streaming service carries a number of sport properties, and features the massive showcase event tomorrow from Long Beach.
“I’m a big fan of UFC Fight Pass and what they’ve built,” he explained. “But for me I just wanted everything free and available on all major platforms. You can look us up everywhere, every TV device, iOS, Android, you name it, we’re on it.
“My thing is about eyeballs, there’s always a path to make money but these up-and-coming fighters are trying to be seen. They’ve got places to go and a career to build, so for me I want to make sure that you can flick on the TV anywhere and see us, without having to pay.”
LXF 20 takes place on Saturday October 26 at the Thunder Studios in Long Beach. Tickets are available here, while fans can watch live on the Lights Out Sports network.
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