YouTuber-turned-amateur boxer Jake Paul and boxing legend Mike Tyson were first featured together in their respective fights back in 2020. Paul was able to knock former NBA player Nate Robinson out, while Tyson was involved in an exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr.
Four years later, Paul and Tyson would meet again in another boxing event - this time, as opponents.
According to ESPN, the fight, scheduled for July 20 and to be aired on Netflix., would have the potential of becoming the most polarizing spectacle yet of the recent crossover boxing craze.
The main event fight would be held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Netflix said that the Tyson vs. Paul fight was the first time they would produce a live event involving boxing.
It would become the third live sporting event overall.
Paul's Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) inked a deal with Netflix for a boxing card last Nov. 1, per MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian.
"Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is a once-in-a-lifetime dream matchup and I anticipate it will be the most-watched boxing event in modern boxing history," Bidarian said in a statement
However, it was unclear how the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which sanctions and regulates combat sports in the state, would approach what would surely be a matchup that could garner plenty of criticism and attention. It is yet to be determined whether it would be classified as a professional fight or an exhibition.
Tale of the Tape
Being one of the youngest heavyweight champions of all time, Tyson cemented his boxing career in his youth, and he would need to fight Paul, 27, who was three decades his junior.
"[Paul has] 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," Tyson said in a statement. "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"
On the other hand, Paul admitted that he could not believe that he would be fighting Tyson after he became an undercard in Tyson's fight in 2020.
"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 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."
Meanwhile, Netflix vice president for nonfiction sports Gabe Spitzer said that the fight would be legendary.
"Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history," Spitzer said in a statement. "Saturday, July 20, will be pure drama in the ring in Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Most Valuable Promotions for this historic event and we can't wait for these two to face off for fans all across the world on Netflix."
