YouTuber turned pro-boxer Jake Paul is taking on former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a live boxing match set to air on Netflix on July 20.
The live event will be streamed globally from the 80,000-seat capacity home turf of the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This is the first partnership between Netflix and Paul’s Most Valuable Productions.
It’s also Paul’s second fight of 2024, following two knockout fights in which he prevailed over pro-boxers Ryan Bourland and Andre August in March and December, respectively.
Jake Paul to Fight Mike Tyson in Live Boxing Match on Netflix
Now, 27-year-old Paul is taking on the person known as “the baddest man on the planet,” 57-year-old “Iron Mike” Tyson. He became the youngest heavyweight champion of all time at age 20 in 1986.
For those not familiar with Paul, fighting Tyson may seem like a shocking and even ill-conceived move. But those who have followed Paul’s boxing career and watched his episode of Chapman and Maclain Way’s sports docuseries Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child will know that the former Disney star and YouTuber is actually a serious boxer with a grueling training schedule. In his career so far, which saw him go pro in 2020, he’s completed six knockouts and won all but one of his 10 fights.
Tyson actually spoke in the Untold episode in defense of Paul, who drew much ire from the pro-boxing community upon entering the sport.
“I’m a fan of people that know how to put asses in seats,” Tyson said in the doc. “Those are the guys I look up to.”
In a statement about fighting Paul in July, Tyson again praised the YouTube star — while also expressing his intention to beat him in the fight, of course.
“I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” Tyson said. “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.”
Jake Paul says he looks forward to fighting Tyson.
“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,” Paul said in a statement.
“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. 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.”
Main Image: Jake Paul and Mike Tyson courtesy of Netflix and Most Valuable Productions.
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