Mike Tyson lost to Jake Paul last weekend (Image: Getty)
A German doctor has argued that athletes shouldn’t be able to box after they turn 40, following lacklustre bout with earlier this month. ‘Iron’ Mike stepped into the ring in a professional capacity for the first time since his 2005 loss to Kevin McBride on November 15, well past his prime at the tender age of 58.
The bout, against a 27-year-old Paul, went exactly as many viewers expected, the ‘Problem Child’ picking apart the former heavyweight champion over the course of eight rounds before having his hand raised via unanimous decision. Thousands of fans left the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, before the bout had even come to a close in protest of the showing, which saw a young up-and-coming fighter have his way with a far older and slower opponent.
While both men came away from the bout relitavely unscathed thanks to no knockouts occurring, Prof. Walter Wagner has called for a ban on anyone over the age of 40 stepping foot in the squared-circle for safety reasons. Speaking to , the doctor said: “As a rule, you shouldn’t be allowed to get into the ring after the age of 40.”
He added: “If you are not able to protect yourself sufficiently in the ring, i.e. defend yourself, then this can lead to serious health consequences. And an athlete’s health should be the top priority.”
Tyson was ultimately able to defend himself over the course of the eight-round contest, however, he never really looked like winning the fight. The former WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight champion came out swinging in the first, looking to close the distance on Paul and get the job done early but nothing managed to land.
Clearly fatigued by the third round, Paul started picking off Tyson at leisure, outscoring the legend of the game 80-72, 79-73, 79,73 after all was said and done. While Wagner appears to be looking out for fighter safety, his pleas will unfortunately fall on deaf ears to many combat sports fans.
Paul vs Tyson wasn’t the best showing (Image: Getty)
That’s because some of the world’s greatest champions in the world of fighting have managed to lift the belts of their respective weight classes after turning 40. George Foreman won the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles at the age of 45 thanks to his 1994 knockout over Michael Moorer, while Vitali Klitschko still had his WBC strap at the age of 42.
Bernard Hopkins was also still challenging for titles at the age of 51, fighting Joe Smith Jr. for the WBC International light-heavyweight title in 2016 – albeit he lost via an eighth-round TKO.