In a move that will create equal amounts of outrage and intrigue, Jake Paul announced on Thursday that he will fight former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in a bout that will stream on Netflix.
Tyson will turn 58 years old a few weeks before the event.
It's going to be a massive money maker, to be sure, and likely will attract an overflow crowd to the home of the Dallas Cowboys. On the down side, though, if one really wants to put away the showman image and became a serious boxer, is it wise to fight someone who is closing in on Medicare eligibility?
Tyson's last win was on Feb. 22, 2003, in Memphis, Tenn., when he knocked out Clifford Etienne in 49 seconds. Paul was six years old at the time. He'll be 28 when he fights Tyson.
Tyson hasn't had a fight of any kind since an eight-round exhibition with the legendary former world champion Roy Jones Jr. in Los Angeles on Nov. 28, 2020, that was scored a split draw by a panel of celebrity judges.
“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s [Roy Jones] undercard," Paul said in a statement. "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 21/2 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.
"Whether you’re tuning in on Netflix or showing out in person, whether you’re Team Paul or Team Tyson, or whether you’re a lifelong boxing fan or watching your first fight, you’re not going to want to miss this event. I could not be more excited to make this amazing fight available to all Netflix subscribers alongside the hardest hitter of all-time, Mike Tyson, on Saturday, July 20. 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.”
Tyson was in amazing shape when he fought Jones, but it was amazing for a 54-year-old man, not for the high-level professional athlete he once was. A member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the youngest heavyweight champion ever and one of the hardest punchers in the sport's long history, it would be foolish to expect Tyson to look like anything he did during his career.
This doesn't in any way help Paul in his quest to become a world champion. Paul hasn't fought anything resembling a competitive boxer in going 9-1 with six knockouts. His loss was to Tommy Fury, the half-brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Tommy Fury is mediocre, at best.
The move does show Paul's genius for showmanship and making money, and if he can help bring Netflix, a global streaming powerhouse, into the boxing business even to stream the occasional fight card, it will be huge for the sport.
Amanda Westcott/Most Valuable Promotions
Jake Paul (L), shown during a first-round KO of Ryan Bourland Saturday, will face Mike Tyson on July 20
Nakisa Bidarian, the founder of Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, predicted it would become the most-watched event in boxing history. Given it's on Netflix, it won't be on PPV, but it would have easily been a one million-plus buy fight if it had. But as many as may watch, it's unlikely it will reach the 93 million who watched on ABC in the U.S. in 1978 as Muhammad Ali fought a rematch in New Orleans with Leon Spinks for the heavyweight title.
Still, there is no doubt it will be a massive event. Tyson remains a hugely significant figure in pop culture and is mobbed everywhere he goes. He's trained quite a bit in the past five years because he said he misses fighting, and this will give him the chance to scratch that itch. However, the wisdom of fighting a man 30 years younger in his prime can't be overstated.
“I'm very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” Tyson said in a statement. “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. 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.”