A surprise came from boxing world with the announcement on Thursday (7/3/2024). Heavyweight legend, Mike Tyson, would face YouTuber from the United States, Jake Paul.
The Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul match will take place in the heavyweight class on Saturday, July 20 2024. The fight will be held at AT&T Stadium, Texas, United States. Jake Paul now fights at cruiserweight and has a 9-1 record in the ring with his last fight coming against Ryan Bourland in early March.
Meanwhile, Mike Tyson will be 58 years old when fight day arrives and the former undisputed heavyweight champion had a record of 50-6 before retiring in 2005. Paul was on the undercard when Tyson beat Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition in November 2020 when he knocked out former NBA player, Nate Robinson.
“I’m going to face Tyson to see if I can beat one of the most famous boxers and the biggest icon in the world of boxing,” said Paul regarding the fight which will be broadcast on Netflix. “We will showcase the biggest fight in history, a duel in the biggest NFL stadium in the US, broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world – a testament to all we have achieved in a short time. This will be the biggest fight of my entire life.”
Despite his big ambitions, the boxing world is far from enthusiastic about this duel. “No matter how Netflix and Jake Paul hype this fight, it will not be a fight for honor and glory,” wrote Army Kaplan on BoxingNews24.com. “This fight is purely for money. Tyson, who used to be a predator in the heavyweight class, is coming out of the shadows not because he loves boxing but because of money. They are targeting keyboard warriors on TikTok and YouTube. This duel is a promised land for teenagers on these two platforms. Forget about the art of boxing. It’s about who can create a trending hashtag.”
Meanwhile, Elliot Worsell from Boxingnewsonline.com wrote about how this match was a continuation of the tragic story of Tyson’s life. “For Tyson, a tragic story with many dramatic moments throughout his life, the fight with Paul – if it happens at all – represents just the latest sad chapter in a life story full of similar moments,” he wrote.
