Jake Paul will face Mike Tyson in a blockbuster boxing match in Texas this summer to be screened live on Netflix.
In a bombshell announcement made on Thursday, it was revealed that social-media-superstar-turned-pugilist Paul and heavyweight legend Tyson would go head to head on July 20 at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
It has yet to be confirmed if the bout - which represents Netflix’s very first live boxing event and will be promoted by Paul’s company Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) - will be a professional contest or rather an exhibition as it pits the 27-year-old Paul against Tyson, who turns 58 in June.
Paul has previously spoken of facing Tyson after emphatically knocking out former basketball player Nate Robinson on the undercard of ‘Iron Mike’s’ exhibition bout against fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr at Staples Center in Los Angeles in November 2020.
Since then, the YouTube sensation has amassed 10 professional fights in total, beating fellow internet celebrity AnEsonGib on debut and then demolishing Robinson before wins over ex-MMA stars Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice) and Anderson Silva were followed by his first loss at the hands of arch-rival Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia last February.
The ‘Problem Child’ has since bounced back from that lone defeat by outpointing another UFC favourite in Nate Diaz before inflicting back-to-back brutal first-round knockouts on Andre August and Ryan Bourland, the latter defeated in Puerto Rico last weekend. Those contests marked Paul’s first wins to date over professional boxers.
“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard. 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,” said Paul.
“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.
“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 20th.
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“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 is one of the most famous names and greatest heavyweights in boxing history, the youngest fighter ever to claim a world title in the sport’s blue riband division who had an oft-controversial 20-year career in the sport that initially ended in 2005 following his losses to Danny Williams and Kevin McBride.
He made his official comeback to the sport against Jones Jr in 2020, showing flashes of the Tyson of old in a high-profile exhibition fight that was eventually scored a draw after eight two-minute rounds.
Tyson said of facing Paul: “I'm very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 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.”
The event will be only the third live sporting action ever to be shown on Netflix, following November’s Formula One and golf crossover competition known as The Netflix Cup and then the The Netflix Slam, an exhibition tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz hosted in Las Vegas on Sunday.
"Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history,” said Gabe Spitzer, vice-president of non-fiction sports at Netflix. “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."