BOXING
When was Mike Tyson’s last professional fight? Who was it against and who won?
The legendary heavyweight champion will take on social media sensational turned pro boxer Jake Paul in Arlington, Texas in July.
Mike Tyson has seen and done it all in boxing. He was he was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, and the only heavyweight to unify them in succession. On top of that, he became the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title at 20 years old back in 1986. Now 57, one thing he probably never imagined he’d be doing was getting back into the ring after a long hiatus with a social media star, namely Jake Paul.
What is Jake Paul’s professional boxing record?
Tyson and Paul will square off at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday 20 July. The bout, which will be streamed on Netflix, had looked set to be an exhibition but has now been sanctioned as a professional fight, which will count towards both men’s career records.
Of course, to call Paul simply a “social media star” is selling him rather short. The 27-year-old, who made his name as an online content creator, has since carved out a successful boxing career that he is taking incredibly seriously. After starting out against fellow YouTubers and non-boxers, Paul has stated his desire to face real out-and-out boxers in an effort to prove he deserves to compete for a world title.
Paul has a 9-1 record from 10 fights, winning three by knockout, including against former NBA star Nate Robinson and MMA fighter Nate Diaz (by unilateral decision). His only loss so far came to British boxer Tommy Fury by split decision.
When did Tyson last get in the ring?
Tyson is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history. However, his last fight was an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr in November 2020, which was a better spectacle than many had anticipated but left few desperate to see “Iron Mike” back in the ring on a regular basis.
The Brooklyn native will be 58 by the time of the fight in July, which will be almost 19 years after he last competed in a professional match-up.
What happened in Tyson’s last pro bout?
“The Baddest Man on the Planet” won 50 of his 58 fights between March 1985 and June 2005, although he three of his six pro defeats came in his last four bouts. After being knocked out by British duo Lennox Lewis and then Danny Williams, he ended his career - until now - in underwhelming fashion, retiring before the start of the seventh round against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride.
Tyson later revealed in a documentary that he had only taken on the fight for the money (he was heavily in debt) and that he hadn’t expected to win having been in poor shape and become disillusioned with boxing.
Since then, he has only taken part in two exhibition bouts, his 2020 draw against Jones Jr in Los Angeles coming more than 14 years after we last saw him in the ring in a non-scored bout against Corey Sanders.