1 week Ago By Tom Naghten
If Mike Tyson fights the way his former trainer believes he can, he'll knock Jake Paul out inside one minute. Three-weight world champion and Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech, who cornered Tyson for his ill-fated final fight against Kevin McBride in 2005, is confident his old friend will be too smart for Paul, despite the age gap between the pair. Tyson, 58, will return to the boxing ring at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Friday (Saturday in Australia), taking on the 27-year-old social media star in a fight where many people are expecting to see another win for Father Time.
MORE: Breaking down the Paul vs. Tyson undercard Fenech, who has known Tyson for more than 30 years, said the stability in his life at the moment should lend itself to a mature performance and a dominant victory. “If it’s the Mike Tyson that I think is going to step into the ring, it’ll be over very, very quickly,” Fenech told Sporting News .
“Obviously, I would hate to see my friend get hurt. Now that I’ve seen what he’s done and gone through, I think that he’s going to be perfectly fine. “If he does things properly I think it will take a minute or so and his hand will be raised and Jake Paul will be knocked out.
“I would make it the easiest strategy ever: don’t try to throw a punch until Jake Paul throws one, make him miss, counter him, make him pay and you’ll go home and have an early day.” Having witnessed first-hand the ups and downs of one of boxing's most dramatic journeys, Fenech said Tyson's life away from the ring gives him confidence the youngest-ever heavyweight champion can defeat Paul, 38 years after first winning the world title. “Mike Tyson, at his peak, could beat any heavyweight ever.
I think the only person that’s ever beat Mike Tyson was Mike Tyson himself,” Fenech added. “But this time, at 58, I think he’s really really settled and he’s going to teach the world something special. “The headspace that I’ve seen him in over the last few years has been the best I’ve ever seen.
“I’ve been with him while he’s been erratic and crazy. “The day he got his tattoo, I was there. The day he doesn’t turn up to training and then doesn’t turn up for a week, I’ve been there and I’ve ridden that whole rollercoaster with him.
“But to see how happy and content he is - he doesn’t need this, his family life is really settled, his wife Kiki is the most beautiful human you’ll ever meet. “When you have good preparation and good mental, you don’t need much more, especially when you can punch like Mike Tyson. “When we fought Kevin, he was thinking about paying tax bills and just fighting for all the wrong reasons.
“I just think he’s in a great headspace, and physically, he’s as fit as any 58-year-old you’ll see, I think that he’s very ready.”.
