But after seeing Jake beat Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley and Logan survive against Floyd Mayweather and the fact their fights pulled insane numbers, there’s no denying they’re helping the sport grow. Mike Tyson has expressed that view not once but twice now, and he elaborated on it further during his podcast.
Not only did he claim their fights are great from a business perspective, but he believes they could be the future of the sport.
“If I bring the world champion and put him on my card and he brings a million people, that’s a lot. But if I bring this little f**king blonde-haired, blue-eyed f**k, he comes up with 70 million. I love him. I’ll put him on my card.”
Tyson described this process as “the changing of the guard” for the sport, which he knows is hard for people to come to terms with. Still, he believes YouTube boxers like them are a massive part of it, and he wants to give them their own tournament and belt.
“Ten years from now, I want to have all the YouTuber boxers have a tournament and fight to determine who will be the champion of their world. They’ll have their own belt, and they can put that up against a boxer’s belt.”
Tyson wrapped up his thoughts by conceding that hype sells a fight, and YouTube boxers like Jake and Logan have proven they can deliver that more than some professional boxers can.
For that reason, he believes they’re the future of the sport, and he has no qualms about promoting it – especially if it makes him some bank.