Boxing Hall of Fame Broadcaster Dismisses Celebrity Boxing Matches as Inconsequential to the Sport

Famed boxing analyst Al Bernstein believes celebrity boxing exhibitions, such as the upcoming Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight, hold no value for the sport and are merely one-off events driven by marketability.

In a recent appearance on OutKick's "The Ricky Cobb Show," renowned boxing analyst Al Bernstein expressed his disdain for celebrity boxing matchups, emphasizing their lack of significance for the sport itself.

"My feeling is, at the end of the day, it means nothing to the sport of boxing. Literally nothing," Bernstein asserted. "They're all one-offs."

Boxing Hall of Fame Broadcaster Dismisses Celebrity Boxing Matches as Inconsequential to the Sport

The 73-year-old broadcaster dismissed the notion that such events bring in new fans or drive existing ones away. "My feeling is they're one-offs, and if the people want them, they are going to keep happening."

Bernstein's induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012 attests to his esteemed status in the field. His decades-long experience covering the sport provides him with a unique perspective.

Boxing Hall of Fame Broadcaster Dismisses Celebrity Boxing Matches as Inconsequential to the Sport

"We live in a society now, don't we, where if something is marketable, it doesn't matter what it is, it'll happen, right?" Bernstein remarked. "It is all about marketability, and that's what this is. People appear to have an appetite for it, they have had an appetite for a number of these celebrity boxing matches, and you can even include in that MMA and boxing crossover fights."

"People, for whatever reason, want to see it, and if you can make a dollar off of it in this day and age, you can have it."

Boxing Hall of Fame Broadcaster Dismisses Celebrity Boxing Matches as Inconsequential to the Sport

Despite the commercial success of celebrity boxing exhibitions, Bernstein remains skeptical about their impact on the sport. "I don't subscribe to the theory that they bring new fans, or it drives fans away."

As for the highly anticipated Tyson-Paul bout, Bernstein expressed concern for Tyson's well-being due to his advanced age and subpar performances in his last professional fights.

Boxing Hall of Fame Broadcaster Dismisses Celebrity Boxing Matches as Inconsequential to the Sport

"In his high 50s, you worry about what could happen to Tyson in this fight, to be honest," Bernstein said. "I did Mike Tyson's last two legitimate boxing matches when he lost to Danny Williams and [Kevin] McBride, and that was a long, long time ago, and he didn't perform as well in those fights as he wanted."

"It's hard to imagine at this advanced age he's going to discover something he didn't have in his last two fights 25 or 30 years ago, so I don't know. I mean it's hard to imagine him being effective in this, but I just hope everybody gets through it safely. That would be my only hope."

Bernstein believes that if Paul were a professional boxer facing only professional boxers, he would be "a cruiser weight with a winning record but not anything special."

The upcoming Tyson-Paul fight is set to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on November 15 and will be streamed globally by Netflix. Despite the widespread attention it has garnered, Bernstein maintains his belief that celebrity boxing exhibitions ultimately contribute nothing to the advancement of boxing as a sport.