Ricky Hatton has blasted Mike Tyson and Jake Paul's upcoming fight, expressing a belief boxing icons of the past will be 'turning in their graves'.
It was recently announced that Tyson, 57, will be taking on 27-year-old Paul in four months' time.
Tyson was formidable during his boxing career, with victories over the likes of Trevor Berbick, Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks in the 1980s helping him establish himself as one of the best fighters of all time.
Paul, meanwhile, has won nine of his 10 fights - with six of his victories coming via knockout.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will fight in July but their upcoming bout has sparked a backlash
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The fight is controversial due to their huge age gap, however.
And fans also don't think Paul is the right opponent for Tyson, especially after losing to Tommy Fury last year.
Hatton has now delivered his assessment while speaking to Instant Casinos.
And the Briton has criticised both Tyson and Paul while saying greats of years gone by will be 'turning in their graves'.
“I get the pushing and the shoving and the name calling and holding each other back, but some of the great champions of old will be turning in the grave watching that c**p to be honest with you," he said.
"I’ll be turning in my grave and watching it myself.
"But, I’ve got my eyes open in the sense that this is the world that we’re in now.
"We’re in the entertainment business. YouTubers against MMA and MMA against boxers, I think that world can exist.
"As long as fights like Garcia, Crawford and Spence, Fury and Usyk happen. As long as those fights are made, they can stay in their world and we’ll stay in our world.
"Both can exist, I’m not turning around and saying, ‘oh, this is a joke’. We’re in the entertainment world, that’s the reason why they {YouTubers} have the followings they have, because people want to see it.
"But let them have their world and we’ll have our world.”
Hatton isn't the only figure in boxing to condemn the fight.
Eddie Hearn, speaking prior to Anthony Joshua's recent win over Francis Ngannou, was asked about the showdown.
And the boxing promoter admitted he was 'very sad' following the announcement of the fight, which is set to be shown by Netflix.
"It's a big event," said the 44-year-old. "I'm the wrong person to ask because I love boxing, so for me it's incredibly sad.
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Ricky Hatton is unhappy with Mike Tyson and Jake Paul's decision to fight each other
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"Mike Tyson's nearly 60. I get it, a lot of people are gonna tune in.
"But my opinion as a hardcore fight fan - it's very sad."
Hearn did admit, however, that he feels Netflix streaming the fight can be a positive for boxing because it enables fans to tune in on a new platform.
"That's a positive. Every platform that enters the sport is a positive for boxing," he said.
"Netflix are a huge platform. I think they can do a lot in the sport.
JAKE PAUL VS. MIKE TYSON
— Netflix (@netflix) March 7, 2024
LIVE on Netflix #PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/WW6Wi3bKM9
"But that particular fight for real lovers of the sport, it's sad to see."
Tyson says he's looking forward to the fight with Paul, insisting his opponent has 'grown' in recent years.
"I'm very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul," he said.
"He's grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a 'kid' can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT."
