Mike Tyson defends Jake Paul against critics who are “mad” over boxing success

Mike Tyson, once again, stepped to the defense of Jake Paul and said that he is unsure why people are “mad” at the YouTuber seeing as he’s bringing interest and money to boxing. 

Ever since Jake Paul moved into the world of professional boxing, there have been plenty of outsiders who have criticized his involvement regardless of the intrigue and interest he brings.

Former heavyweight king Mike Tyson, though, has constantly praised Jake and his brother Logan for their willingness to fight – and even believes people are ducking Jake because they don’t want to have the ignominy of losing to a social media star.

Tyson’s defense of Jake has always been in regards to the interest and fanbase that he commands, noting that no world champ has the same reach as Jake. On top of that, he also believes the YouTuber-turned-boxer is pretty skilled in the ring and people shouldn’t be “mad” at him.

The 55-year-old appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to talk about his viral mid-flight fracas, as well as the possibility of fighting Jake at some point down the line – which he says needs to happen “this year.”

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On the topic of Jake, the boxing icon repeated that he’s good for boxing and deserves a bit more credit. “He’s beating people who he shouldn’t really be beating and you’ve got to give him that credit,” Tyson told the late-night host.

“He’s doing so much good for boxing. Listen, this guy has got 70 million people following him every time he fights. Champions of the world don’t have that many people following them. So what he’s doing for boxing is just sensational, no one should be hating on that,” Tyson added. “They should be saying ‘yeah let’s just fight him’. He’s helping everybody get money, so why are people mad at him?”

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Tyson joked that if he and Jake eventually square off, and he wins, he’ll be able to add himself the ‘YouTube Champion’ to his glittering list of accolades.

As noted, he’s always gone to bat for Jake and, if they ever do fight, that will likely increase his respect for the YouTuber. So, don’t expect to see Tyson change his mind anytime soon.