SPORTS THOUGHTS ⚫ BY MIKE KILLBREATH
One opponent nobody can beat; Father Time caught up with Mike Tyson
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 Sports Thoughts Column
Last night was a stark reminder that there's one opponent that eventually nobody can beat.
It's Father Time.
Mixed between rooting for the old geezer in the boxing ring to land a lucky punch and praying for his mere survival, it became increasingly evident that eventually — Father Time beats all of us.
Mike Tyson went the distance in his match against Jake Paul. His legs were shaky at times. He appeared uneasy on his feet. He often looked like he was ready to quit, too tired to go on.
But there we were — hoping and cheering for the old guy to land one big powerful punch.
It would be a blow for everyone who faces the prospects of feeling too old to compete.
Sure, Jake Paul looked worried. Mike Tyson's "stare" is like looking into the awful glare of a killer. Who wouldn't be a bit scared when watching old videos of Mike Tyson delivering knockout after knockout like no champion before him, or after him. The first 19 times he climbed into the ring, Tyson knocked out every opponent — 12 times challengers went to the canvas in the very first round. In all, 22 of his 44 career KO's came in the opening round.
But the reality was that Mike Tyson is 58 years old. Jake Paul is 27.
In fact, Mike Tyson retired 19 years ago when Jake Paul was just 8. Tyson began his boxing story before Jake Paul was even born.
So it was impossible not to root for the hero in a story like this one. FanDuel reported that more than 70 percent of its wagers were betting on Tyson to win.
Yet, we knew it couldn't happen.
But there were more than 72,000 fans in the stadium to watch in Arlington, Texas where the Dallas Cowboys play football. So many millions more were watching live on Netflix that they literally broke the internet. The screen kept freezing up, proving streaming isn't yet ready to bring us live sports.
Mike Tyson got a $20 million paycheck.
Master promoter Jake Paul, the YouTube sensation turned boxer, cashed a $40 million paycheck for beating a 58-year-old, over-the-hill former world heavyweight champion. He can say he retired Mike Tyson for good.
Tyson's best punch at age 58 turned out to be at the weigh-in when he got in a good slap after Jake Paul stepped on his foot.
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Mike Killbreath is an award-winning newspaper sports columnist. He appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Daily Gazette Sports Weekend Show Sundays from 6-8 pm and on The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning news columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
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