🎧Sports Brief: Tyson Returns to the Ring; Top QBs Duel in NFL Showdown; Rugged Rivals Collide for Division Lead

(L-R) Mike Tyson, Nakisa Bidarian, and Jake Paul attend the press conference for LIVE on Netflix: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson at the Toyota Music Factory in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 13, 2024. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024

Greetings sports fans, and welcome to The Epoch Times Sports Brief for Friday, Nov. 15. I’m Bill Thomas, we’ve got some scintillating highlights to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening in the thrilling world of sports.

A boxing legend returns to the ring for one last shot at glory, a pair of NFL superheroes clash for conference supremacy, and old-school rivals go at it with a vengeance for the top spot in their division.

Also, a leading college football contender faces a must-win scenario, and a legendary winter sports champion is coming out of retirement and putting her battered body back to the test.

We begin in Texas, where tonight, the crowd’s gonna be rocking, the stars will be shining, and the opening bell will ring on a hugely anticipated rock ‘em sock ‘em event, and this one is going to be an absolute circus.

Tyson Returns to the Ring

In just a few hours, “Iron” Mike Tyson makes his long-awaited return to the ring to go toe-to-toe with Jake “the Problem Child” Paul, and if you haven’t heard any of the hype regarding this fight, you’ve been asleep at the wheel.

They’re each making tens of millions of dollars for a few minutes of action, and the fight’s going down at AT&T Stadium, better known as the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Here’s the deal. Tyson is 58 years old, he’ll soon be an AARP member, he hasn’t fought professionally in nearly 20 years, and he comes into this bout as the underdog.

Meanwhile, Problem Child is 27. He’s 10–1 in his pro career, but he’s gone up against mostly stiffs and has-been MMA fighters, and he got his start by posting prank videos on YouTube.

Let’s size things up. Tyson checks in at 233 pounds, while Paul weighs a beefy 220—he must’ve been doing some of his training in the parking lot of the Krispy Kreme on 18th Street.

By the way, if you missed this, during the weigh in yesterday, Tyson affectionately slapped Paul across the face because the millennial stepped on his big toe. Problem Child said “that was a cute slap,” but “tomorrow you’re getting knocked out.”

So you know, this is a legally sanctioned fight and will count on both of their official records. However, the match is only scheduled for eight rounds, they’ll be two minutes each (instead of the usual three), and the gloves will weigh 14 ounces apiece, instead of the standard 10 ounces. *Sports Brief Host Commentary: This ain’t a boxing match—it’s a pillow fight!

A massive crowd of 60,000 screaming fans are gonna watch the fight in person, and many more will tune in on Netflix, which will stream the event live.

We all want to see Tyson school Problem Child, but smart money says the fight will go the distance and they’ll shake hands after the final bell on the way to the bank after stopping for a latte and a prune danish at Starbucks.

Let’s move along now to the other boxing match, the NFL, and on Sunday, the league’s last unbeaten team faces a brutal showdown against their biggest rival, there’s lots on the line, and here’s what’s cooking.

Top QBs Duel in NFL Showdown

The 9–0 Kansas City Chiefs are on their way to blustery Buffalo for a marquee matchup against the 8–2 Bills.

So you know, this is the eighth meeting between a pair of the league’s superstar quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, and the Chiefs have won four of the previous games. However, it’s worth noting that when the chips are down and the season’s on the line, Mahomes and the Chiefs are 3–0 against Allen and the Bills in the playoffs.

This season, the Bills were expected to take a huge step back, but instead, they’ve defied the odds, “circled the wagons,” and are playing like a complete team on both sides of the ball.

Meanwhile, the two-time defending champion Chiefs are a well-oiled machine that snoozes through three quarters, peaks at just the right time, and features a swarming defense that’s stepped it up in a big way.

Right now, a three-peat looks like a real possibility—if they can only get by Buffalo.

For the Bills and their “mafia” fan base, if they ever hope to get over the hump and finally make it all the way to the Super Bowl, all roads lead through Kansas City—and this week may be their last, best chance to put a dent in the Chiefs dynasty and stake a claim to the all-important playoff bye and home field advantage.

We’ll stick with the NFL now and another monster game featuring blue collar rosters, heavy hitters, and a pair of bitter enemies, and here’s the skinny.

Rugged Rivals Collide for Division Lead

First place in the rugged AFC North is on the line when the high-scoring Ravens fly to Pittsburgh for a brutal battle with their longtime division foes, the Steelers.

The Ravens might have gotten off to a slow start this season, but they’ve been picking up steam and don’t look now but they’re 7–3.

Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson dominates the league’s most potent offense for Baltimore, and right now, he’s playing like he really wants a third award. They’re number one in points per game, they top the league in total yards per game, and his backfield mate Derrick Henry is nearly unstoppable. I’ve seen this guy in action—he’s like the NFL’s version of the Incredible Hulk.

However, they always have trouble against the Steel Curtain. Jackson has only beaten the Steelers once since he became the starter six years ago, and again this season, Pittsburgh lines up one of the stingiest defenses in the league.

Meanwhile, the Steelers haven’t dropped a game since veteran Russell Wilson took over as the starting QB last month, and his legendary high-arching moon balls have added a much-needed vertical threat to the team’s dormant passing game.

The Steelers are a surprising 7–2, but this will be their toughest test yet. If they can get by the Ravens, it’s time to say they’re for real—and the entire league will be watching very closely.

By the way, the AFC North is known for its hard knocks and gritty defense, but this one is likely to be a high-scoring affair between the league’s most potent offense and a vastly improved Steelers passing game.

We move along now to the college gridiron where a former two-time champion is on the ropes, the number six team in the country looks to deliver the knock-out punch, and here’s what you need to know.

Vols Get a Rare Chance to Knock Out Dawgs

Tomorrow, the high-climbing Tennessee Volunteers will try to put the last stake in Georgia’s dwindling playoff hopes by pulling off a huge upset, and for the Vols, it’s the biggest game in years.

The greatest question in this critical dogfight is whether or not rocket-armed Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava will suit up for the game. Right now, he’s listed as questionable after suffering a concussion last week against Mississippi State, and we won’t know until the whistle blows whether or not he’ll be on the field.

Meanwhile, Georgia was clobbered last week by an impressive Ole Miss squad that uncharacteristically shut ‘em down, beat ‘em up, and pounded them into submission.

It was the first time they’d lost to anyone other than Alabama in nearly four years, it dropped them to 11th in the rankings, and another loss this week will knock them right out of both the SEC championship race and the college football playoffs.

The keys to the game will be the play of Georgia QB Carson Beck, who seems to be falling apart week by week (kind of like my knees), along with a lackluster Bulldog offense which just can’t generate points.

They’ll be going up against a ferocious Tennessee defensive line that hounds its opponents sideline to sideline, and a sputtering Volunteer offense that just can’t seem to score against the Bulldogs, even when its quarterback is at full strength.

A win for Tennessee gives the Vols the inside track to the SEC championship game, a top spot in the college football playoffs, and delivers the knockout blow to Georgia, all at the same time.

We have time for just one more story, and with winter right around the corner, if you’re a fan of cold weather sports, bundle up, throw on a scarf and gloves, and check this out.

Legendary Skier Rejoins US Team

Yesterday, 40-year-old professional skier Lindsey Vonn announced that she’s rejoining the U.S. Ski Team, six years after she last competed in the Olympics.

In case you’re not aware, Vonn is a legendary athlete who’s won four World Cup championships, a pair of Olympic gold medals, and at one point, she held the record for the most career wins in her sport.

However, she’s also suffered a number of very serious injuries which eventually forced her to drop out of competition, including broken limbs, concussions, and torn ligaments. Earlier this year, she even had a partial knee replacement.

Vonn will be joining an American ski team which already features another legend, Mikaela Shiffrin, who’s won nearly 100 World Cup races in her incredible career.

By the way, it remains to be seen which events Vonn will be competing in. However, next month, the first World Cup downhill event will be held in Colorado—and that’s her specialty.

Sports Brief Host Commentary, Take 2: Downhill skiing is easy. Skiing uphill—that’s the hard part.

Looks like our time’s just about up, but before we go, just a reminder—we’re only hours away from the fight of the century, “Iron” Mike Tyson versus “Problem Child” Jake Paul.

This fight will be almost as big as the Danny/Donny fight in 2002 when the red-headed kid from the Partridge family, Danny Bonaduce, went up against Barry Williams, who played Greg Brady on the Brady Bunch, in a goofy celebrity boxing match.

Neither one of them can box, they aren’t really celebrities, and it was a close fight—and by close, we mean Greg Brady is lucky to be alive. Good job Danny.

Hey, we’re out of time now, but we’ll be back next week with another edition of the Epoch Times Sports Brief.

If you have any thoughts about the Sports Brief program, we’d love to hear from you, and you can find us at [email protected], but only if you have gushing, kind, complimentary kudos for the extraordinary, multi-talented Sports Brief crew.

For all of us here at The Epoch Times Sports Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.

The Epoch Times Sports Brief program is written by the wonderful Davey Ross—and by wonderful, we don’t really mean wonderful at all, it’s just something we say to help us get through the program.

Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and engaging rundown of all the sports stories you absolutely need to know about.

Enjoy another great weekend of sports, stay safe, and remember, let’s all continue to watch out for one another, have a superb day today, and don’t forget to keep your eyes on the game. Bye for now.