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Whether you are in favor of the attention that YouTube stars Logan and Jake Paul have received for their forays into boxing, it is undeniable that they have brought attention to the sport.
Both of the brothers have dipped their toes into the squared circle. Logan Paul even landed an exhibition bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr., and while he lost, Mayweather said afterward that Paul was "better than I thought he was ... he's a tough, rough competitor."
Jake Paul has done even more, going 5-0 in pro bouts, including knockouts of former NBA player Nate Robinson and former MMA fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
You can debate the long-term prospects of the Paul brothers as fighters, but according to legendary boxer Mike Tyson, the fresh faces are good for the sport due to one reason: Attention.
"I think they're a big shot in the arm for boxing," Tyson told Shannon Sharpe on his podcast, "Club Shay Shay." "No boxer's ever brought that many people to the network, like Logan and Jake did. They're bringing money to boxing."
Mike Tyson: Logan & Jake Paul are good for boxing
Sharpe asked Tyson if it was important than the brothers take on legitimate pro boxers at some point in order to build credibility. Tyson agreed, but also said that a lot of people wanted to fight them because they mistakenly believe them to be easy marks.
"These guys are very emotional, they want to fight 'em so bad, they forget that he's a trained fighter," Tyson said. "He's gonna make them believe that they can really beat this guy because he's white with blonde hair and blue eyes. 'I'm gonna kill him.' And then they go in the ring and something different happens."
Tyson was a dominant fighter in his day. He was the youngest heavyweight champ in history at the age of 20 and was the undisputed champ from 1987 to 1990. He won his first 19 pro fights by knockout, with 12 of them coming in the first round.
So he knows what he is talking about when he points to opponents underestimating the Pauls.
"They're sleepin', they're sleepin'," he said.
While Tyson said it's good to have fresh faces bring attention to his sport, he did say that there are issues in boxing, including that the good pros simply don't fight frequently enough.
"That's really bad for boxing, because boxing is entertainment and the name of the game," he said. "You want the fans to say 'when am I gonna see that guy fight again?' Until you have it like that, you're not gonna make the big purse dates."
He explained that this is one of the reasons that a window has opened for celebrities like Jake and Logan Paul to find a space in the sport.
"That's why YouTubers are taking over, because they're exciting," he said. "They can't fight, but they're more exciting than the fighters. The fighters are not fighting competitive fighters, they're fighting guys that they're walking over."
Tyson said the top fighters need to also fight each other more often and to not be afraid of losing.
"These guys got to want to be immortal," he said. "I wanted to be immortal. I wanted people to know my name until the end of time."
You can watch the "Club Shay Shay" on YouTube or subscribe on podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts.
