Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz Dan Le Batard called the upcoming Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight the “silliest kind of circus novelty.” Photo Credit: Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

While many sports fans are looking forward to the Nov. 15 fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, many boxing traditionalists are not enthused.

Dan Le Batard spoke for all of those skeptics Monday on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, labeling the match “the silliest kind of circus novelty.”

“I heard advertised on Netflix the Paul-Tyson fight in a way that called it a ‘boxing mega-event, the fight the world has been waiting for,'” Le Batard said. “And, I think they also called it, if not the biggest event in the world, something very close to the biggest event in the world.

“While I want to argue, because I hate that this is what boxing is as a spectacle, I cannot argue that I’m assuming Netflix is going to kill it with whatever it is that this fight is, even though it’s the silliest kind of circus novelty …

“It’s not really boxing in any way. It’s a 58-year-old guy against an internet celebrity.”

The fight, held at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, will air exclusively on Netflix. The streamer has leveraged the build-up to the event by producing a documentary, Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson, showing the two fighters preparing for the bout. The first two episodes debut Nov. 7, with the third and final episode dropping Nov. 12.

Le Batard also pointed out he thinks fans will pack AT&T Stadium.

“Is that possible that they’re going to get 100,000 people there like you would for a genuine boxing match during the heavyweight age?” he asked. “Like what kind of event is this going to be?”

“I would sound old if I said it’s not possible, so it’s entirely possible … I actually think it’s going to happen,” co-host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner said.

From there, talk naturally turned to who would win the bout. The fight, originally scheduled for July 20, had to be rescheduled when Tyson had a health issue. Earlier this year, Le Batard had labeled Paul an “idiot” and predicted he was “going to get knocked out.”

He seemed to temper his prediction a bit Monday.

“I would not want a human being of any kind to fight Mike Tyson,” Le Batard said. “But I understand that he’s a betting underdog and a lot of people are worried for Mike Tyson in a way I am not worried for Mike Tyson.”

[Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.