Mike Tyson wanted a professional fight. Netflix wanted to make it a professional fight. So I agreed to make it a professional fight.winner takes all pic.twitter.com/fNLnIiD8fM
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul)
April 29, 2024
The bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will be licensed as a professional boxing match by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
ESPN first reported the news on Monday. Heavyweight bouts are fought over eight two-minute rounds, with fighters using 14-ounce gloves. After the initial announcement of the match, there were questions about whether it would be an exhibition. Instead, the result will remain in both Tyson’s and Paul’s professional records.
“Mike Tyson wanted a professional fight. Netflix wanted to make it a professional fight. So I agreed to make it a professional fight,” Paul wrote on social media. “The winner takes all.”
Tyson vs. Paul will take place on July 20th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and will be broadcast on Netflix. This will be the first time Netflix has aired a martial arts event and the third live sporting event across the streaming platform. The fight will take place under the banner of Most Valuable Promotions, a company owned by Paul.
Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) hasn’t fought professionally since losing to Kevin McBride in 2006, when he withdrew on a stool after six rounds. Most recently, Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr. to an eight-round draw in an exhibition match in 2020. Tyson will be 58 years old when he fights Paul in July.
Paul, on the other hand, first made a name for himself as a YouTube personality before becoming a huge star in the martial arts world. His 9-1 boxing record includes wins over MMA luminaries such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice), Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz. Most recently, “Problem Child” defeated Ryan Bolland by first-round KO in March of this year.
According to ESPN, the 31-year age difference between Paul, 27, and Tyson is the largest in professional boxing history. Still, both were eager for their fight to be recognized as a professional one.
“Mike Tyson and Jake Paul signed with the desire to meet in a sanctioned professional fight with a final outcome,” Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidalyan said in a statement to ESPN. ” he said. “Over the past six weeks, MVP has been working with our partners to meet the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation’s (TDLR) sanction requirements for the Paul vs. Tyson fight, and we are grateful to have gotten this far.”
