CLEVELAND, OHIO: Despite defeating Nate Diaz by unanimous decision in a 10-round bout on August 5, Jake Paul continues to battle to persuade his critics in his still-developing professional boxing career.
Beyond his abilities or limitations in the ring, he has found a major fan in a boxing icon. Mike Tyson used his appearance in the Netflix documentary 'Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child' to demonstrate his support for the YouTuber.
What did Mike Tyson say?
The boxing legend said, "Listen, he did more for boxing than some of the champions did." He added, "I'm a fan of people that know how to put asses in seats. Those are the guys I look up to."
"So we gotta keep this guy bright 'cause he's gonna save boxing as long as he continues to fight. He got the light, you know what I mean? He's touched. He got the light," Tyson added.
This isn't the first time Tyson has lauded Paul. Iron Mike was all praise for him after the Problem Child's bout with Roy Jones Jr in 2020.
"Listen, my ego says so many things, but my reality is they help boxing so much," Tyson said at the time.
"These guys making boxing alive. Boxing was pretty much a dying sport, so UFC was kicking our butt, and now we have these YouTube boxers. Boxing is getting 25 million views. Boxing is going back thanks to the YouTube boxers," he added.
Jake Paul's boxing record
Paul has seven victories and one loss since entering the boxing scene in 2020. The loss was a split decision affair against Tommy Fury in February this year.
In 2022, he defeated Brazilian MMA fighter Anderson Silva to improve his record to 6-0. However, the press and spectators were underawed by the win due to their 22-year age difference.
Following the Diaz bout two weeks ago, Paul committed to a rematch in MMA, but the event is not yet confirmed.