Mike Tyson - Jake Paul: What are the special rules for the the 58-year-old and the social media star?

Friday, November 15 sees the fight between Mike Tyson, 58, and social media personality-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 27, and it has everyone talking.

Critics argue the fight, set to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on November 15, edges closer to a scripted spectacle than a serious athletic contest. With specific rules catering to Tyson’s age and health, fans are left wondering if this fight will deliver on its promise or merely serve as yet another showpiece in Paul’s polarizing career.

Concerns over Tyson’s age

Tyson’s age is at the heart of the debate. Nearly two decades removed from his last sanctioned professional fight in 2005, the former heavyweight champ remains a legendary figure in boxing. But he’s also a 58-year-old with plenty of mileage, both in the ring and out of it. While Tyson has stayed in shape and shown flashes of his old speed and power in training, there’s no denying the years - 58 is still 58.

Boxing pundits and former pros, like Carl Froch, have voiced dismay at the fight’s professional status. Froch didn’t mince words, calling the fight an “insult” to boxing and labeling Paul a “performing clown.” His main gripe? That a nearly 60-year-old Tyson, possibly with contractual limits on his power shots, is facing a much younger and healthier man who built a career less through athletic grit than by leveraging social media fame.

What are the rules for Tyson vs Paul?

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has approved the fight as a professional bout, but the rules read more like an exhibition – clearly a concession to Tyson’s age and safety. Unlike traditional men’s pro boxing, where rounds last three minutes, Tyson and Paul will go only two minutes per round. And instead of the usual three-minute rounds typical in professional boxing, this fight will be restricted to eight two-minute rounds. While standard gloves for heavyweight bouts weigh in at around 10 ounces, both fighters here will wear 14-ounce gloves, commonly used for sparring to soften blows.

These modifications practically scream “safety first,” catering to Tyson’s condition and placing a bit of a lid on the usual explosive nature of heavyweight fights. Boxing insiders suspect the 14-ounce gloves and shortened rounds aren’t just for Tyson’s benefit but to ease any impact on Paul as well, making it harder for Tyson’s famed power to truly connect.

Real fight or just entertainment?

This fight’s odd setup has only fueled suspicions that it’s more showbiz than showdown. Froch isn’t alone in calling out the fight’s legitimacy. Trainer Tunde Ajaye has also questioned if Paul vs. Tyson is anything more than a money-grab disguised as sport, going as far as to hint that Tyson’s allowed movements might be limited by contract. Whether this is a “real” fight or a choreographed bout remains a hot question, one that both Tyson and Paul have had to fend off repeatedly in the lead-up to November 15.

The younger Paul, now 10-1 with a string of KO wins against non-boxers, insists on the fight’s legitimacy, saying Tyson “wanted this to be a pro fight,” and that Tyson’s own drive for “war” led to the match being sanctioned as professional. Paul’s words, however, may sound more convincing to his social media fans than to the boxing purists, who see this as yet another chapter in Paul’s carefully constructed boxing journey, built on headline-grabbing matchups rather than true tests of skill.

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