Assuming there are no further delays, Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will meet in the ring for a fully-sanctioned professional boxing match at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 15. The bout was initially pushed back from July 20 due to concerns over Tyson‘s health following an ulcer flare-up, but both combatants are eager to step in the ring this fall in an eagerly-anticipated showdown that will air on Netflix.
Plenty of boxing and MMA veterans have chimed in on the bout, and concern continues to linger over the three-decade age gap separating Paul from Tyson. But a true boxing icon is the latest to offer his opinion — and Floyd Mayweather dished on the upcoming fight in a way that only he can.
Floyd: I can’t knock Jake Paul’s hustle
During an appearance on the “It Is What It Is” podcast, Mayweather had plenty of praise for Paul for agreeing to fight Tyson — but not for the reason many might expect.
“What he’s doing is kind of cool. If he can continue to steal money, and they match him the way they match him, I can’t knock his hustle,” Mayweather said.
The comments are appropriate for Money Mayweather, seeing as he ushered in a new era of boxing — and promotion — after agreeing to fight UFC star Conor McGregor in 2017. Mayweather said that the realities of this digital age mean that boxers have to do more marketing themselves on TikTok and YouTube — as well as agreeing to fights that some would consider outlandish, as is the case between 27-year-old Paul and 57-year-old Tyson.
“The promoter is dying. It’s now the responsibility of the fighter (to promote himself). That’s the new boxing world,” Mayweather said. “Just hustle, man. Just hustle.”
The respect Mayweather has for Paul does not seem grudging — it comes off as genuine admiration and respect for what he’s trying to do. And at the end of the day, money is money for many, no matter how they’ve “earned” it.