Amir Khan has expressed his desire to replace Mike Tyson in the fight against Jake Paul, provided that the YouTube star loses a significant amount of weight.
Heavyweight legend Iron Mike was originally scheduled to face the YouTuber-turned-boxer on July 20. However, the fight was postponed due to Tyson’s health, which resulted from a recurrence of ulcers during last week’s flight. Tyson now hopes the fight will take place between October and December.
Khan, a former world champion who weighed about 140 pounds at his peak, retired two years ago after losing to longtime rival Kell Brook. Even though he’s 37, he’s open to replacing Tyson, but insists Paul, who recently gained 230 pounds, needs to lose a lot of weight.
“If the weights are right,” Khan told Offshore Poker Sites, “I don’t mind giving up 20 pounds. It just depends on the weight because I know Jake gained a lot of weight to fight Mike. Jake isn’t usually this large, but he’s gained a lot of weight, so it’s up to him to decide if he wants to lose weight and we’ll find a middle ground somewhere.”
He added: “We’ll see, but I haven’t had any calls about it, so I assume they’re still hoping to fight Mike, he won’t want to get beaten early. These guys are halfway through training and drinking camp – they don’t even have camp – they make the sport look bad, so if it means I have to knock out KSI, Jake Paul and his brother Logan to teach them a lesson, I will do it.” .
“Honestly, I don’t think Jake Paul will want anything to do with me. I want to give this boxing influencer a break because these guys are destroying boxing and until they get a good beating they won’t realize that boxing is for real fighters who take the sport seriously.”
“Iron Mike” confirmed that despite recent health problems, his health is relatively good, and doctors recommended him to rest for a few weeks before resuming training. Moreover, in Tyson’s last sparring match, Roy Jones Jr offered himself as a potential reserve fighter, aimed at regaining his form in the event that he is selected.
Since the incident in the last week of May, several boxers have expressed interest in replacing Tyson. However, Tyson and Paul announced their intention to postpone the fight, wanting to keep the original fight intact.
The postponement was implemented to allow both fighters adequate time to rest, train and recover so they can perform at their best on fight night. For now, the recent date for the Tyson vs. fight Paul is scheduled to be announced on June 7.