Jake Paul does not have the defensive skills to deal with Mike Tyson, despite his opponent being 30 years older than him, according to Lennox Lewis.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer is taking on the legendary heavyweight in a much-hyped bout in Texas in July. Paul has a 9-1 professional record after beating Ryan Bourland in the first round in Puerto Rico on March 2 and is favoured to win by bookmakers.

Tyson retired from professional boxing in 2005 but did step back into the ring for an exhibition against Roy Jones Jr in November 2020. Nevertheless, Lewis fought and beat Tyson in 2002 and believes his vast amount of experience and nous inside the ring will trump Paul’s youth.

Asked if he was concerned about their safety, Lewis told The Guardian : “I’m concerned for Jake Paul. Tyson still knows how to punch, as you can see when he’s hitting a bag. If Jake Paul gets hit by one of those punches, he’s going to feel it. I know Jake Paul doesn’t want to get hit.

“Tyson comes forward and he knows how to cut off the ring. It could be a matter of time, as how good is Jake Paul’s defence? I saw Mike a couple of weeks ago and he looked good. He was walking around without a shirt and showing off his body so he’s getting ready.”

He added: “I’m looking forward to it because you’ve got to look at these guys as entertainers. The public love them and want to see them in action.”

Lewis has a very different opinion to Deontay Wilder, who has warned that Tyson could be left in a coma by the younger man. "I think it's bad the commission has licensed Mike Tyson because he hasn't been active in 20 years, so they should not just licence him because of who he is, that's how people get hurt, god forbid he gets hurt," he told Sportsbook

"People can get hit in the wrong place and at the wrong time, there's lots of examples where guys have been hit into a coma. It's easy to do. He's too old for this. At the end of the day, no one gives a f*** about Mike.

"We can talk about the pros and cons, but at the end of the day, they don't give a f***. I don't think anyone cares about Mike because if they did they wouldn't sanction the fight.

"They may say they've done tests and all that, ok, but as long as you're willing to suffer the consequences if something bad goes wrong. His power may not have left completely but you still need to set it up, your stamina needs to be a certain way, or it's going to look like a clown show.”