58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who recently recovered from a stomach ulcer, is set to face 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a high-stakes boxing match at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Friday. The $40m purse for the fight has drawn criticism from the boxing community for devaluing the sport.
Celebrity boxing matches have been gaining popularity, with unconventional matchups involving celebrities and former professionals becoming increasingly common in recent years. These events have been fueled by a desire for money and fame, with fighters like Paul prioritizing financial gain over traditional boxing goals.
The trend of celebrity boxing has even reached the business elite, with Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla founder Elon Musk once considering a “cage fight”. The spectacle and potential for financial gain have made celebrity boxing matches appealing to a wide audience, despite criticism from the boxing community for not representing true boxing standards.
While some see celebrity boxing as a lucrative business opportunity, others, like former boxer Duke McKenzie, believe it devalues the sport and exposes fighters to unnecessary risks. McKenzie fears that someone may get seriously hurt before the appeal of celebrity boxing fades.
The Tyson vs Paul fight is scheduled to take place on Friday, November 15, with a large audience expected to tune in to witness this unconventional matchup. The event has brought attention to the phenomenon of celebrity boxing and its impact on the sport, sparking debates about the future of boxing in the age of social media and celebrity culture.
Source
Photo credit www.aljazeera.com
