Boxing legend Teddy Atlas has questioned whether Mike Tyson and Jake Paul have already 'agreed' on how their fight will end.
Paul, 27, is set to take on former world champion Tyson, 57, on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The details of the fight, such as the rounds and weight, are yet to be determined - but the two have so far been vocal in their public exchanges ahead of the bout.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming showdown against Tyson - also known as 'Iron Mike' - Paul said: "I idolized Mike Tyson until the first time I met him 4 years ago…he called me Logan. Going to make sure he knows who I am real close and personal."
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Tyson has also had his say after taking to his personal social media to post a video of himself training, where he said: "You still wanna f*** with me?"
While anticipation is building amongst the two fighters and fans across the world, boxing trainer and commentator Atlas is hesitant to join the hype.
“Unless this is a WWE agreement, which I don’t know that it is – I never said this before because I think all these fights are legitimate, and they are and have been – but this one makes me wonder,” he said said on his YouTube channel (as quoted by Daily Mirror).
“I’m not questioning the integrity of Paul. In fact, I like his integrity. I like what I’ve seen in the guy.
"I’m just saying, if there was a time I would question it, this would be the time.
"I can’t see, unless Paul is that confident, that Tyson is too old now and he’s that good, because Paul has been getting more confident, and he does have a good right hand and does punch well with it and Tyson leads with left hooks.
"Maybe Paul thinks he can hit him with a right hand, I don’t know.
"All I know is that this is the first time I’ve said, ‘I wonder if there’s an agreement, because if there’s no agreement, Paul might be making a mistake. … I’m surprised Paul is taking this risk.
"Power doesn’t disappear even when you’re old. He’s still got speed in the combinations. He’s still got that style.”
There is no evidence or suggestion out there to support Atlas' claims, however, and Paul and his management have already rubbished several conspiracy theory claims surrounding the fight - with this looking to be just one of many that we've seen as the fight edges closer.
Tyson was last in action back in November 2020, where he had an exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. Paul was also in action on the same card, as he knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson.
Topics: Boxing, Mike Tyson, Jake Paul
Patrick Rowe