Those of us at a certain age, from a certain generation rooted for Mike Tyson in his Netflix fight with Jake Paul.

We all have those moments when we feel we can turn back the hands of time and perform like we did in our twenties and even our thirties.

But the reality is we can’t. We are all mortal and life has its seasons. Yes, we do have our moments but we have to realise they are just that – moments. The old lion always has to make way for the young lion.

At 58, Tyson turned up to the AT&T Stadium in Texas looking in fantastic shape, getting himself down to 228.4 pounds. He put the work in and took the fight seriously.

It is said that the last thing to go is power and many hoped that he would knock out Paul in the early rounds of the 8-round bout.

He started off well, throwing good punches in the first two rounds. Paul was wise to keep him at a distance.

By the third round, Tyson’s legs had gone and the fatigue set in. From there Paul started picking him off with decisive punches.

It got tougher and tougher with each round and Tyson’s punch rate fell off.

Come the seventh round he was breathing hard and wincing. Boxing is a young man’s game and that recognition dawned on him. The man known as the “Baddest man on the planet”, could barely get off his chair to finish a fight with a man who was 31 years his junior. Paul could be his son.

It must be said that Paul was magnanimous and showed a lot of class. He could have gone for the knockout and seriously hurt Tyson but refrained from doing so. He bowed in respect and reverence for the man just before the bell went to conclude the contest.

A genuine heavyweight legend vs a YouTuber. There are those of us who yearn for the days of authenticity, unbridled masculinity and have little time for this social media age and the way it has diminished men. This fight is a sign of the times. Everybody wants to be a star on a platform and you don’t require talent or ability.

Tyson was a boxer of talent and destructive ability. He is up there as one of the best heavyweights the world has seen.

After the fight he said he may very well continue but approaching 60 he must face reality and hang up his gloves. The man who discovered his talent, shaped it and mentored him was Cus D’Amato. What a fantastic job he did. Tyson must now emulate his deceased mentor, find a great talent, shape it and guide it. Just imagine having Tyson as your trainer. 

In the evening of his years, his legacy could very well be as one of the greatest boxers of all time as well as one of the greatest trainers. Tyson is an avid student of the game and has a lot to pass on. 

Rather than kids jumping on YouTube and calling themselves boxers, Tyson could forge boxers who are the real deal who are tutored by methods that spawned the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Lennox Lewis, and Canelo Alvarez.

Talking of Canelo Alvarez, he is perhaps the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world today. He is no manufactured boxer. There is talk of a face-off with Paul but Canelo rightfully sees that as beneath him. It poses little challenge and does nothing to enhance his legacy.

Paul has said Canelo must come to him for the big payday. That would be an easy pay day-like grabbing candy from the hands of a baby.

But why bother right now?  There are bigger fish to fry

Paul has to establish his bona fides. He must stop squaring up to hand-picked chumps and take on contenders, hardworking boxers who will put him to the test. 

He has only been a boxer for four years and the kids on YouTube love him. Many have no appreciation for what real boxing is and the true warriors that have brought glory to the sport. You hear kids today tell you Jake Paul is better than Muhammad Ali could ever be. One just has to nod in disbelief.

Watching Tyson on Friday night was impressive. To get back in that ring spoke to his character and the mentality of a pugilist, a natural-born killer. The light may be fading but the stubbornest, the will to compete, the fire is still there. That is what some men took away from it and what still guides many despite the advancing years.

Some of us still want to put it on the line. We want to know whether we still have the right stuff. 

Tyson walked away from the ring with his dignity in tact. 

He must keep it that way. 

He also walked away with a US$20 million purse. That works out to over US$1 million a minute with the fight being just 16 minutes long.

Not bad for a bloke who is 58 years old.