The NFL star has given his backing ahead of the July 20 bout
Tyson, 58 when they fight, will be coming out of retirement to face the ‘Problem Child’, nearly four years after his last fight – a draw in the exhibition against Roy Jones Jr in December 2020.
The pair will square off at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on July 20 and there is expected to be a sellout crowd inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
It will be a case of youth against experience, with Tyson the former heavyweight champion of the world and 31 years older than YouTuber Paul, who is only 10 fights into his boxing career.
But for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Kelce, there is a clear favorite for the fight – and the 34-year-old may be going against the grain with his choice.
After hosting the second Annual Kelce Jam in Kansas City, the Chiefs star gave his thoughts on the upcoming fight when speaking to Dave ‘The Schmo’ Schmulenson.
“[I’m] taking the Cleveland kid [Paul] even though Mike is golly, I feel silly saying that, but I’ll take Jake with the youth,” Kelce said, backing his fellow Cleveland native to take the win.
Travis Kelce instantly changes his mind
It’s fair to say that Kelce might have expected such a fight to be registered as an exhibition, given the clear age difference and fact Tyson has been retired for several years.
However, the fight is being sanctioned by The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations, which makes it a professional bout just like any other.
It means that knockouts are permitted under the rules, and Kelce hinted that if he was privy to that information before making his pick, he might have gone the other way as Tyson boasts 44 KOs in 50 fights.
“Woo hoo hoo! I have never seen Mike get knocked out,” Kelce said, hinting he regretted his choice.
With Tyson training hard in the gym and showing off the strength of his punches at the bag, he will be itching to prove the football star wrong.
