Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will fight social media star-turned-boxer Jake Paul on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex.
Tyson, 57, hasn’t fought since he and Roy Jones Jr. met in a 2020 exhibition that ended as a draw. Paul, 27, built a significant fan following as a YouTube influencer and turned professional in boxing four years ago. He has won nine of 10 fights with six knockouts against undistinguished opponents.
Tyson was the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987-90 and retired in 2005 after winning 50 fights, 44 by knockout.
The most recent fight for Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) came on Nov. 28, 2020, in an exhibition with Roy Jones Jr. Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) was on the undercard that night and knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson.
Tyson hasn’t fought professionally since 2005, and ESPN reported it has yet to be determined whether this bout will be classified as an exhibition or a pro event.
“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,” Tyson said of Paul in a news release. “It’s a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch as I started him off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”
Paul has defeated former UFC stars Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva in boxing matches. He will be competing against Tyson as a heavyweight.
Netflix will stream the bout, the latest entry into Netflix’s foray into live sports. It most recently streamed the Netflix Slam, a match between Spanish tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
