Mike Tyson - Jake Paul: What are the special rules for the the 58-year-old and the social media star?
Although it was reported that the bout would probably be an exhibition, it has been confirmed that both men will meet in a professional fight on July 20.
There was lots of speculation about the possibility of seeing Mike Tyson and Jake Paul step into the ring in an exhibition match, but a news report from ESPN.com confirmed that their upcoming clash on July 20 will be sanctioned as a professional fight.
That means that besides the large amount of money that both fighters will make, the fight will go down on their records. That will add an extra spicy factor to the showdown, which will be aired on Netflix from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Lots of media suggested that it could be an exhibition fight, due to the age difference between both men -31 years on fight night-, but it has been officially sanctioned as a professional bout by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
“Mike Tyson and Jake Paul signed on to fight each other with the desire to do so in a sanctioned professional fight that would have a definitive outcome,” Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said in a statement.
“Over the past six weeks, MVP has worked with its partners to satisfy the requirements of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) to sanction Paul vs. Tyson and we are grateful that we have gotten to this point.”
Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul: fight rules
Although the fight status between the former heavyweight king and the social media celebrity and boxer has changed from exhibition to professional, the main difference is, as previously mentioned, that the fight will be on both fighters’ records.
However, the fight will be contested over eight, two-minute rounds. A traditional boxing match is anywhere from four to 12 rounds, each one being three minutes long.
Tyson and Paul will use 14-ounce gloves, not 10-ounce ones, and another of the big differences is that judges will determine a winner at the end of the clash. That means that one of the fighters can win the fight on points, whereas without judges, there would only be a winner if the fight ended in a knockout.