Mike Tyson 50-6 (44) will have his first professional boxing bout in almost two decades when he takes on Jake Paul 9-1 (6) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20.
Tyson, who will be 58 by the time he steps into the ring, became the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history when he dethroned Trevor Berbick to claim the WBC title by second-round knockout way back in November 1986.
Within nine months Tyson unified all three major world titles to cement his status as the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’.
Almost a decade later, YouTuber Paul was born.
By this stage Tyson had lost his crown to Buster Douglas, spent time in jail for rape and suffered an 11th round knockout loss to Evander Holyfield in what was the Upset of the Year for 1996.
Paul was still in nappies when the rematch with Holyfield, the infamous ‘bite fight’, took place.
The 27-year-old Paul is a divisive figure in boxing since making his pro debut four years ago. He has dragged his online followers across with him but has been accused of turning the sport into a sideshow with his selection of opponents that have largely consisted of washed-up mixed martial arts fighters.
The one time he did face a legitimate boxer near their prime, he lost an eight-round split decision to the limited Tommy Fury.
For marketing purposes, making the Tyson fight more than an exhibition makes sense. But even though the bout will go down on the boxers’ ledgers as a professional contest, it will be fought over eight two-minute rounds with 14 ounce gloves instead of the standard 12 ounce gloves used in heavyweight contest.
“Mike Tyson wanted it to be a pro fight. Netflix wanted it to be a pro fight. So I agreed to make it a pro fight. Winner takes all,” Paul posted to social media after the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations sanctioned the bout.
Tyson has reported given up marijuana and sex in preparation for the bout. The first of those two things is banned for athletes in Texas.
“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 press release.
“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 reached this point.”
Tyson boxed an exhibition over eight two-minute rounds against former multi-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr in November 2020.
His last professional boxing bout was a sixth-round knockout loss to Kevin McBride in June 2005.
Paul is coming off a first-round knockout of Ryan Bourland last month.
