Jake Paul faces 'anxiety-provoking' pressure ahead of Mike Tyson fight
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Jake Paul could face 'anxiety-provoking' pressure when he takes on Mike Tyson later this month.
The Youtuber-turned-boxer will face one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
There have been many criticising the bout, mainly due to the outrageous age gap between the two boxers.
Paul, aged 27, and Tyson, aged 58, will break the record for the biggest age gap in professional boxing when they touch gloves in under two weeks time.
Jake Paul will face his biggest test yet later this month when he faces Mike Tyson
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Many believe that Paul will go into the contest as the favourite due to his age, despite the fact he has only fought one boxer in his career - Tommy Fury - and lost.
And psychology expert James Newman, speaking to OLBG, believes the weight of expectation might be heavy on the social media star's shoulders.
Newman said: "The psychological pressures could be down to the ‘expectation effect’ for Jake Paul, especially if he hasn’t had a hugely successful track record (with no notable wins against professional boxers).
"Jake Paul may already be in a position where he is somewhat doubtful about his performances and then he is in an environment where he is expected to win as well – that can go one or two ways.
"There is a potential that it could be anxiety-provoking and a form of pressure for him alongside the nature of the fight itself.
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"Some challenges in managing expectations can be a source of stress and anxiety in themselves."
Paul has won 10 out of his 11 professional fights in his career, though his wins have come against retired MMA stars, NBA players and fellow YouTubers.
His only loss came against Fury, who claimed a split-decision victory in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in February 2023.
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Jake Paul could face anxiety over expectations before his Mike Tyson fight
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Tyson, meanwhile, has not fought professionally since 2005 when he was forced to retire on the stool against Kevin McBride and many boxing fans will tune in to watch Iron Mike back in action.
But if Paul's defeat to Fury is still weighing on his mind, Newman said: "One way we can look at it is in terms of raising his confidence in a specific situation.
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Mike Tyson has not fought professionally since 2005
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"Jake Paul can focus on his past accomplishments from previous fights he won, or Jake can look at images of other people like him who made that transition and have had success.
"It’s to find something in what we call a model, which is someone who displays similar characteristics as the person, so for Jake Paul, it would be similar sporting involvements or a similar profile and to use it in a guide to raise his confidence and specific situation."
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