Mike Tyson has proved nothing is impossible in boxing with his Jake Paul fight, and he’s also set his sights on facing Anthony Joshua in recent years

If Mike Tyson beats Jake Paul, then he’s previously expressed an interest in actually fighting Anthony Joshua.

The American boxing legend is returning to the ring on July 20 to fight social media star Paul, who is 9-1 in his professional career to date. There’s more than a 30-year age gap between them, with Tyson turning 58 next month.

It makes for an intriguing spectacle given his CV in the sport as a two-time world champion, reigning as the undisputed heavyweight king from 1987-1990. Paul enters as the odds on favourite, though.

But Tyson was still backing himself to beat the best just four years ago. He was asked about facing the then-IBF, WBA, WBO, and IBO title holder, Joshua, ahead of his exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr.

Tyson told TMZ Sports in 2020: “I’m very interested. If doing that means we can have a bigger charity exponent, well so be it, I’m down to do that, too. I would love to [fight Joshua]. That would be mind-blowing.”

Joshua has since lost his belts to Oleksandr Usyk, but is now on the comeback path with four straight victories, while Tyson hasn’t fought since his split draw with Jones.

The allure of a mega-money meeting with Paul, which is to be streamed live on Netflix, has now brought him back once more. It’s proved a controversial match-up amongst the boxing community.

But Joshua is all for it, as he explained during his recent appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show : “I personally think it’s really good. The boxing hardcores, they don’t like it because they’re like ‘why are they disrespecting our sport?’

“There’s an Olympics system that you have to go through, and once you’ve qualified there you go through to the professional ranks, whereas someone with a profile can just come out of nowhere and fight one of the best guys.

“But I think that person (Paul) brings all of these people into boxing, which benefits everyone else that’s involved in the industry. It’s a tough game, so everyone viewing helps. I think it’s really good for exposure.”

While he’s got nothing against Paul fighting Tyson, his prediction for the fight would suggest he isn’t interested in doing so himself down the line. For now, AJ is laser focused on regaining gold before retiring.

“The only thing I’m worried about is Father Time,” he continued. “That’s one thing that has never been beat. Tyson is older now. I pray that he comes out healthy. I think Jake Paul because of youth. That’s the only thing – the youth.”