BOXING

When is the fight Tyson vs Paul, where to watch it and where will it be?

It may be that the former YouTube star-turned-boxer has gone too far this time. Truthfully, countless ideas are better than entering a ring with Mike Tyson.

IAN MAULE FAYEZ NURELDINEAFP

It’s safe to say that Jake Paul’s entrance into the world of boxing has divided fans. On one side you’ve got those who acknowledge that he’s significantly increased viewership for a sport that has struggled to reinvent itself on a marketing level. On the other, there are those who believe he’s making a mockery of it all. Regardless of where you stand, he’s about to face a challenge like no other.

Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson is actually going to happen

On Thursday, boxing fans were given news that likely both excited them and mortified them at the same time. That’s to say that social media star Jake Paul announced that he would be taking on former world heavyweight champion and arguably the ‘baddest man on the planet’, Mike Tyson. At 57 years old, Tyson is a legend of the sport, while at 27 years old, Paul is something of an enigma i.e., clearly an athlete who is dedicated to growing in the ring but largely regarded as a circus performer due to his previous endeavors on social media.

Where specifics are concerned, the bout is set for July 20th at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and will be streamed live on Netflix which is to say you can expect the same kind of fanfare and quality production that we’ve seen in recent times from the platform. To be clear, there has been no official word on whether the fight will be an exhibition or professional bout, however, it’s highly unlikely that it will be sanctioned at the professional level.

What to know ahead of Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson?

If we take a look at Tyson, this will mark the first time that he’s taking on an opponent since he took part in an exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020. Frankly, that fight is largely regarded as the one that opened the door to crossover cards, where the spectacle is more important than those who are specialized in the art of fighting. Incidentally, that same night also saw Paul taking on former NBA player Nate Robinson in what was the second professional bout of the social media star’s career. On the night, he registered a knockout and has since gone on to register a career record of 9-1.

Ultimately, as much as Tyson is one of the most iconic fighters to ever grace the ring, it’s clear that with his age and stage, he is not what he once was. Paul, on the other hand, is 30 years younger and is essentially in his physical prime. How this goes is anyone’s guess. Yet, it’s clear that Paul understands that regardless of age, this is Mike Tyson we’re talking about, one of the most feared men on the planet and a challenge that could in theory make fight fans take him a little more seriously if he can get a respectable result.

“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard,” Paul said in a press release. “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. Within just two and a half years of founding MVP, we’re about to produce the biggest fight in history, a fight in the biggest NFL stadium in the US, broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world – a testament to all we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time. ...My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion ever, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. This will be the fight of a lifetime.”

Most viewed

More news