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NEW YORK — Mike Tyson is returning to the boxing ring. The legendary fighter will square off against YouTuber-turned-boxing Jake Paul on July 20. The event will stream live exclusively on Netflix, at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in an 80,000-seat venue.
Tyson, the former heavyweight champion who will be 58 at the time of the fight, hasn’t had an official boxing match since June 11, 2005, when he lost to Kevin McBride. But Tyson faced Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition bout on Nov. 28, 2020. The card also featured Paul, who viscously knocked out former Knicks guard Nate Robinson.
“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, 27, has won nine of his ten fights. His lone defeat came against Tommy Fury, the younger half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, in February 2023. He’s had a handful of fights against former MMA stars like Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley (twice) and Ben Askren.
“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,” Paul said in a statement. “This will be the fight of a lifetime.”
The age gap has garnered a ton of criticism on social media thus far, but the match is expected to net both men millions. So they’ll both be laughing straight to the bank – regardless of the outcome. The fight ostensibly will be an exhibition, though the specifics are unclear.
