Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson: What to know about long-awaited boxing match
by Ryan Morik · Fox NewsIRVING, TEXAS – Arguably, the biggest boxing event in recent memory is finally here.
Jake Paul, who rose to fame through social media, is fighting former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday night.
Paul says he got the idea after an ayahuasca retreat, and it finally came to fruition when it was announced back in March.
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The fight was originally slated for July 20, but when Tyson had an ulcer flare-up in May, the fight was postponed four months.
Many may think this is simply a publicity stunt, but the state of Texas is sanctioning this as a professional fight. Meaning, the fight will be on Tyson's record and will be his first official fight since 2005, a sixth-round TKO loss to Kevin McBride (his bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, where Paul was on the undercard against ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, was an exhibition). Meanwhile, this will be Paul's third fight of the calendar year.
While it may be sanctioned, there are some tweaks: the fight will be eight, two-minute rounds with 14-ounce gloves.
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The fight is being branded via Paul's promotion, Most Valuable Promotions, which he and Nakisa Bidarian co-founded in 2021. The promotion helped Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano sell out Madison Square Garden in 2022, and the two will have a rematch as the co-main event on Friday night.
Paul-Tyson will be broadcast on Netflix at no additional charge aside from a subscription, meaning the fight can be broadcast on nearly 300 million televisions worldwide.
Paul enters the fight at 10-1 in his career, with six of his victories coming via knockout. Tyson is 50-6 with 44 KOs.
The two boxers have taken different approaches in the lead up to the fight. Paul is doing what he does best: talk, troll and get people angry. Tyson, meanwhile, has kept his answers short, sweet and very to the point.
At least, that was the case until Thursday night.
Everyone got a pretty nice preview at the weigh-in, as Tyson smacked Paul with an open hand at the weigh in. Tyson even squared up but was held back by numerous personnel before things escalated.
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However, in their own respective way, that is how they lock in - and eight months of training will come down to, at most, 16 minutes on Friday.
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