Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson – a few former Spokane boxers weigh in on Friday’s fight

On the surface, it’s a fight between young and old when 27-year-old Jake Paul climbs in the ring against 58-year-old Mike Tyson on Friday.

But for a few ex-fighters with local ties, it’s more like unserious vs. serious.

“I’d like to see (Tyson) take care of this so these celebrities don’t keep trying to come back and do stuff like this,” said retired light heavyweight Frank Vassar, a Spokane native.

Spokane Boxing’s Rick Welliver said that celebrity fights like these are a little “disheartening” because these big names often draw more attention to the sport than dedicated professionals.

“But if it brings more eyes to the sport, I’m OK with that,” Welliver said.

Friday’s fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – which will be streamed live on Netflix starting at 5 p.m. – features the YouTube sensation-turned-professional Paul (10-1) against the former undisputed heavyweight champ Tyson (50-6), who hasn’t fought a sanctioned bout since 2005.

The fight is scheduled for eight rounds, limited to 2 minutes per round rather than the usual 3, and the fighters will wear 14-ounce gloves – heavier than the standard 10-ounce gloves for heavyweights.

“Jake Paul probably can’t take 3-minute rounds with a guy like Mike Tyson. That’s why they kicked it down to 2,” said Vassar, who trains heavyweight contender Calvin Barnett (5-1) in Choctaw, Oklahoma. “That extra minute doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s a lot.”

Still, Paul – who first fought in 2020 – is favored to win the fight with -235 odds, according to ESPN.

“I argue this in the gym all the time: I think Logan (Jake’s brother) and Jake Paul could be world champion boxers,” said Spokane’s Chauncy Welliver, a former heavyweight champion, suggesting that the Paul brothers’ access to resources have helped fast-track their boxing careers.

In the end, he believes Paul’s youth will be too much for the more mellowed and much older Tyson to handle.

“Nobody wants to say the next generation is better … we don’t want to admit that these guys are good,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, Mike Tyson is older.”

Chauncy Welliver, who sparred with Tyson in 2002, added that he would not be surprised if the fight ended with Tyson getting disqualified.

“That animal will come out in him – Jake’s gonna say something, do something – and Mike’s gonna go nuts,” Chauncy said.

But former three-division boxing champion and one of Paul’s former coaches, Shane Mosley, isn’t so sure.

“I think Mike is way too much for him as far as experience is concerned,” Mosley said. “Jake doesn’t know how to fight inside, and he hasn’t learned that yet, because he doesn’t have enough experience.”

Vassar agrees that Tyson’s experience will prevail.

“Mike will forget more than probably Jake Paul will ever learn,” Vassar said. “As far as skillwise, Mike is way, way, way past where Jake Paul will probably ever be.”

Mosley, who came to Spokane last September and fought five boxers back to back at the Shriners Event Center for Chauncy Welliver’s Hard Sparring 2 exhibition, thinks this fight might be arriving too soon in Paul’s quest for boxing glory.

“It’s gonna be hard for Jake,” Mosley said. “He’s a fighter, but this is a different type of fight where Mike knows what to do and Jake is just learning how to do stuff.”

Mosley added that Paul has jumped around weight classes, but Tyson has fought his whole life at heavyweight.

Rick Welliver agrees that the fight could be tough for Paul.

“I think if one-tenth of Mike Tyson from 30 years ago shows up, Jake Paul’s in trouble,” said Welliver, who credits Paul with being a “gym rat” who has put in long hours to the sport in the past four years.

Lilac City boxing coach Danny Thomas believes that Paul has some “solid skills” that have not been tested by his recent MMA-turned-boxer opponents. The club’s owner and head coach, Ray Kerwick, is less optimistic about Paul.

“I don’t think that (Paul) can hang with any of the U.S. or even international top boxers in his weight class – whether amateur or pro,” Kerwick said.

While there’s disagreement on the outcome, it’s a safe bet most will be watching Friday.

“I think it’s great attention to the sport,” Chauncy Welliver said. “I’m actually probably one of the very few boxer-boxers that have been a fan of everything (the Paul brothers are) doing.”