Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul will require extra vigilance, a legendary referee warns

Hall of Fame boxing referee Richard Steele offered words of caution about the upcoming fight between Mike Tyson And Jake Paul.

“With Mike Tyson, it’s so dangerous even for the referee because you have to be close, but you have to be far away to let them do their thing,” Steele, who has refereed six of Tyson’s fights, told USA. TODAY Sports. “You always had to be aware of what was going on because one of Mike Tyson’s punches could really hurt the other. And maybe he won’t have to take the other blow.’

It is not yet publicly known who will inherit that responsibility.

Tela Mange, a spokeswoman for the State Department, which regulates combat sports in Texas, said last week that she had no news to report on the referees or judges for the Tyson-Paul fight, scheduled for Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. .

One thing is certain: it won’t be Steele, who is now 80.

‘No, man. I had enough,” he said.

But he did give his thoughts on several topics, including the two-minute rounds which he believes will put Paul at a disadvantage in an eight-round fight.

“I don’t see the guy going that far with Tyson,” said Steele, who boxed professionally and went 12-4 from 1966 to 1970 before becoming a referee in 1972. “Because Tyson is so strong and he’s an ex-champion. He knows what he’s doing and for two minutes… he can go all out.”

Also, according to Steele, extra padding in the 14-ounce gloves that will be used in place of the standard 10-ounce gloves will not benefit Paul.

“That’s still a small gauntlet when you think about the power of Mike Tyson,” he said.

Steele refereed a notable fight involving Tyson on October 23, 1999. Just after the bell sounded at the end of the first round, Tyson knocked down his opponent, Orlin Norris.

Steele deducted two points from Tyson on the judges’ scorecards, and Norris said he injured his knee during the knockdown and could not continue. The fight was stopped and ruled a no-contest.

“He didn’t want to do it anymore,” Steele said of Norris. “He just took the knee as a way to get out of the fight.

“It was clearly a foul, but I think the blow was on the way and he couldn’t stop it.”

Steele said he recently saw footage of 58-year-old Tyson working on a heavy bag in preparation for the confrontation with 27-year-old Paul.

“He’s still dangerous,” Steele said. “He has so much power… I just hope he doesn’t get hurt or hurt the other person.”

Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Beware of the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, warns ex-referee Richard Steele