Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson will face YouTuber star-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a match at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It will be streamed live on Netflix in July 20.
Tyson, renowned as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, said that it would be fun to go up against Paul, who is 27 years old and has a 9-1 record with six knockouts.
Carrying a 50-6 fight record with 44 knockouts under his belt, "Iron Mike" is hoping to get into top shape as he will be 58 years old by the time the fight is set to take place.
Tyson's last professional fight was back in 2005. He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011. He returned to the ring in November 2020 to face Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match, which was unofficially ruled a draw.
One of the undercard fights that night included Paul, who has made the transition from social media influencer to a full-time boxer, possessing a record of 9-1, including a knockout win against Ryan Bourland in March 2.
Tyson said in a statement:
"I'm very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul. 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 (Greatest Of All Time).
It's a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch, as I started him on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him."
Paul said:
"It's crazy to think that in my second pro fight I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson's undercard. Now, less than four years later, I'm stepping up to face Tyson myself to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing's most notorious fighters and biggest icons.
My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of the world, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. Time to put Iron Mike to sleep."
According to ESPN, it is still uncertain whether this match will be considered as an actual pro fight or an exhibition, mainly because of Tyson's age, who will be turning 58 in July. Its classification will ultimately be determined by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which regulates boxing in the state.
Streaming platform Netflix will be providing the live coverage of the match.
Paul and Tyson shall be the main event of the first combat sports show for Netflix in its recent ventures into live sports production.
Source: https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/39662923/sources-canelo-alvarez-talks-pbc-munguia-fight
