‘I don’t know if Mike Tyson fight was set up, he couldn’t move!’

Heavyweight Gary Cobia has expressed his views on Mike Tyson’s comeback after the former champion inspired him to return to the ring in his fifties.

Cobia was recently granted a license to box another ex-world titleholder in Oliver McCall. The Utah native steps back between the ropes for the first time in a decade as he dusts off the cobwebs on February 4 against McCall.

WBN caught up with the 52-year-old to discover why he laced up the gloves again. Cobia stated that Tyson’s decision to face an influencer boxer and McCall’s continuing in his late fifties gave him the desire.

“I decided to come back after watching Tyson fight [Jake] Paul and Oliver [McCall] fighting [Stacy] Frazier. I figured I was in my early 50s and wanted a challenge,” Cobia told World Boxing News exclusively.

On the Tyson fight, which saw ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ lose on points to Paul without making any inroads into the bout, Cobia added, “I was surprised he lost even at 58!

“I don’t know if it was set up that way or that Mike couldn’t move fast enough. I watched a lot of training videos, and he seemed to be in good shape and quick with his punches.”

Cobia alluded to the fact that Tyson’s apparent murderous training sessions didn’t translate to fight night, leading to many conspiracy theories about why.

For now, Cobia has to focus on McCall, though – who – at 59, is only a couple of months shy of turning 60. Having an eight-year advantage over McCall may not be any substitute for experience in the case of Cobia, but the 3-4 heavyweight is doing his homework.

“I watched him with Frazier. I can see he is patient, waiting for mistakes or counterpunching opportunities. Oliver still has a lot of power with good ring generalship,” pointed out Cobia.

“I think the last thing that goes is power. Foreman fought until he was 50. If the doctors have released Oliver and he is in good shape, he should have the opportunity [to fight at almost 60].

“A man has to dig deep to see how far he wants to push his body,” he concluded.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Oliver McCall returns to the ring against Gary Cobia on February 4.

McCall will be 60 in April. pic.twitter.com/5DBI00w3Z8

— World Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) January 30, 2025

McCall vs. Cobia occurs on the next installment of Country Box, which promoter Jimmy Adams put together. Maidel Sando vs Vaughn Alexander tops the event at the Texas Troubadour Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee.

Sign up for the WBN Newsletter for free and get daily news directly in your email. Never miss a story.

Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN and Quora.