"Ex-World Champ Says Jake Paul Earned His Respect by Sparing Heavyweight Legend Mike Tyson"

DAVID HAYE says Jake Paul earned his respect for refusing to knock out heavyweight hero Mike Tyson.

Tyson made a controversial comeback at the age of 58 last November,

Nov 15, 2024; Arlington, Texas, UNITED STATES; Mike Tyson (black gloves) fights Jake Paul (silver gloves) at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYCredit: Reuters David Haye and Derek Chisora on No Glove LostCredit: YouTube / The Sun Sport

The boxing world feared a sad and sickening stoppage for Paul, who would be able to brag for life about KO’ing the once Baddest Man on The Planet.

But after struggled to even stand throughout the uncomfortable eight rounds, allowed the boxing great a moral victory by hearing the final bell.

And former two-weight world champ Haye – who idolised Tyson – hails the prankster-turned-prizefighter for doing so.

He said on SunSport’s No Glove Lost episode: “I could tell he carried him. He did carry him.

“Out of respect for Mike Tyson, he wanted him to hear the final bell. Mike Tyson was gassed out after he was finished and he wasn’t.

“So he could have, but out of respect, he kept it going for the last few rounds. I think he did. On the strength of that, that changed my opinion of him.

“I remember thinking, ‘How could he go there and knock Mike Tyson out? He’s 58 years old.’

“I’m watching it and once Tyson’s energy started going and he couldn’t pull the trigger, I was like, ‘Oh s***, he’s gonna knock Mike Tyson out.’

“But he moved around, he tied him up. He did what I hoped he would do. And I was like, ‘Oh, respect, you could have went out there and just started teeing off.’

“But that would have been just terrible for everybody. It would have just been horrible. So a points victory out of respect, I thought that was the best thing to happen that night with someone as old as Mike Tyson.”

British cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley, who has watched Paul’s remarkable rise in the sport from the get-go, said: “Jake’s many things, many things, he does some outrageous things, but he’s respectful.

“And I can say that from a perspective of seeing him from early before he even came into the pro game, still had the head guard on and was fighting the white collar early YouTube fights.

“Been in his space, been around his brother, they’re respectful people, but they know how to get you going and if it’s, if it’s entertainment, they entertain.

“But he’s a respectful person. So when I saw him with Tyson, I was surprised a little bit because sometimes you can get drawn into the camera, personality and the act.

“So I thought, well, is he gonna do it? But when he backed off and was boxing, I said ‘Yeah. He’s not a bad guy like that, he wouldn’t do that.”

Derek Chisora believes perhaps Paul’s greatest achievement is the new attention he is bringing to boxing.

He said: “This kid is a genius He knows what he’s doing. My kids didn’t even know who Mike Tyson was until Mike Tyson got in the room with Jake Paul, it’s crazy.”

Paul’s only heavyweight bout was against Tyson – when he weighed 16st 2lb (227lb).

That is still ONE STONE lighter than Joshua’s restricted 245lb weigh-in limit – drawing fears for Paul.

An unthinkable victory for the American would top James ‘Buster’ Douglas 42-1 victory over Mike Tyson in 1990 – which is still considered boxing’s greatest ever upset.

But Haye warned: “Completely dismissing him fully is why I think he’s got a bit more of a chance than everyone suspects. Because AJ might be thinking the same thing.

“AJ and team might be thinking the same thing, like he’s shown nothing so far up until this point in a fight where you can say that’ll be able to counteract AJ here.

“But just because he hasn’t done it when the lights are on, who says he isn’t doing it every day in the gym behind closed doors? You don’t know.

“There’s no guarantees in boxing, particularly in the heavyweight division, so the fact that he’s chosen AJ is, for me, shows he has something that we don’t know about.

“And there’s a belief within his team, within his management that if he lands this particular shot that he might have chinned two or three guys who they’ve kept it quiet.

“I’m very much looking forward to that first bell, because I’ll, I’ll be able to see straight away what is happening in this fight because AJ’s got a hell of a jab.

“When AJ gets behind that jab and he doubles it up, it’s a problem for people. Is that gonna be able to land on?

“How about if AJ misses that jab for the first 30, 40 seconds and he’s moving around the ring and AJ’s come out there just to get rid of this kid, ‘Let me just get him out of there.’

“And he’s missing, he’s fumbling. It’s just gonna get interesting.”

Jake Paul facing off with JoshuaCredit: Getty