I watched Mike Tyson and Jake Paul's open workouts. Here are three things I noticed before the Netflix fight

Sports fans have been waiting for this fight for a while and, honestly, Some doubted it would happen. However, Jake Paul And Mike Tyson will finally have their much-hyped boxing match next Friday night and be available to stream with a Netflix subscription. Both fighters on the card organized open training days before the big night. And as someone who watched both fighters train, a few things stood out to me.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to travel to Irving, Texas in person to see the two demonstrate their skills. So I’m grateful for that MMA junkie continued with full videos of both fighters. I saw some elements that I liked and some that I was a little concerned about. This is what stood out.

Mike Tyson boxing during his training session — (Image credit: Scott Hirano)

Mike Tyson can box circles around Jake Paul

I don’t claim to be a professional boxing analyst, but it was immediately clear who was the more technically skilled fighter of the two. Mike Tyson may be the elder statesman and well past his prime, but in training those iconic combos looked just as devastating as they did decades ago. Tyson seemed to emphasize quick head punches to weave and set up body combos, and that now makes me think that Lennox Lewis was perfect by guessing that Tyson could use it to slow down his younger opponent. I was also shocked at how fast Tyson moved, especially compared to his opponent.

Jake Paul moved slower and after watching both workouts back to back, he was shocked at his lack of technical skills. His fastest sequence of punches was a quick one-two combination at the top, but there was almost no weaving or anything more complex than just throwing hard punches. He didn’t look like someone who could hold his own against a modern-day champion fighter. So if I were him, I’d reconsider his plan for what would happen next if he defeated Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson was sweating after his sparring session. A black towel draped around his back as he stares out at the crowd in attendance — (Image credit: Scott Hirano)

Tyson was sweating profusely at the end of his short workout

As good as Mike Tyson looked in the ring, I have to point out that he was sweating profusely by the end of the session. I found that a bit concerning, as the sparring session only lasted about three minutes. It now seems clear why the veteran wanted shorter rounds for the fightand I think there’s a good chance he’ll drop out early if this goes beyond a third round. That said, Jake Paul wasn’t exactly hopping around at the end of his session either, so maybe that extra weight he has gained will also play a role in his endurance.

Jake Paul boxing his sparring partner while wearing a rooster wig — (Image credit: Most Valuable Promotions/Esther Lin)

Paul is bigger and he seemed to hit harder

While I must emphasize that this was a training session, it seemed clear that Jake Paul was throwing harder punches during his session compared to Mike Tyson. Even though it doesn’t mean much, I don’t think you can deny who is the physically superior of the two during this workout. To me, it looks like Paul has made sure he has put in as much effort as possible to withstand Tyson’s devastating blows and hope he can take control of the fight in the closing rounds and throw some devastating haymakers.

Of course, that also assumes the YouTuber takes this fight seriously enough to have a game plan. And considering he was wearing a chicken wig and still trolling “Iron Mike” during the workout, I have to wonder how dialed-in the viral sensation is.

We’ll see who beats who when Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight in their Netflix bout on Friday, November 15. I’m really excited to see this fight, and I still have no idea who will come out on top. Ultimately, I think it will depend on what happens in the early rounds, so pay close attention.