Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will have his first professional boxing fight for almost 20 years on Friday night.
There will be huge worldwide interest when Tyson throws down against YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys).
The experts at Furyjoshua.com have answered some key questions ahead of the bout, which will be screened live on streaming platform Netflix.
CLICK HERE to bet on Tyson v Paul with Sky Bet
The contest has caught the public's imagination, but will it be any good?
Well, that’s the $64,000 question. In fact, scratch that, that is actually the $50million question (the figure rumoured that the protagonists will share for this Netflix blockbuster).
Nobody quite knows what is going to happen, and that is part of the intrigue. Peak for peak, this would have been no contest. ‘Iron Mike’ is a Hall-of-Fame legend of the sport, while Paul is 10-1(7) as a boxer and once made a living on the Disney Channel.
However, Paul is also probably in his athletic prime at the age of 27 and is taking boxing very seriously. He has boxed twice already in 2024, and while the level of his competition has been questionable at times, he has improved as a fighter since his first pro contest in 2020.
There are levels in boxing of course. In the trailer for this sporting oddity, a relaxed Tyson confidently hissed: "He's a manufactured killer. I am a natural-born killer."
Given his achievements in the sport, why is Tyson such a big outsider?
Seeing Tyson at 'plus money' to win this will have raised a few quizzical eyebrows, especially from those who remember ‘Iron Mike’ from his electric heyday. Tyson holds the record as the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title, and he violently reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.
However, you are almost legally obliged – when discussing Tyson’s career – to use the term ‘spectacular fall from grace’.
Paul can’t hold a candle to him when it comes to experience, with Tyson owning a 50-6(44) pro CV in a Hall-of-Fame career which saw him reach the top of the heavyweight tree and acquire eye-watering riches and fame. In his 1980s pomp he beat top heavyweights such as Michael Spinks, Larry Holmes, Tony Tucker and Britain’s own Frank Bruno.
Bottom line though, the reason Tyson is a 2/1 outsider in the betting is because it’s not the 80s. It’s 2024. As someone who watched Tyson’s ferocious ascent in the 1980s it seems absurd to say, but Paul is the cash cow these days, and the A-Side for the ‘casual’ fans who will drive subscription numbers in the coming days.
Tyson’s last professional fight ended in a retirement loss to the hulking – but very limited – Irishman Kevin McBride in 2005. Almost two decades have gone by since that sad night at the MCI Center in Washington, and the one time ‘Baddest man on the planet’ is now 58.
For some context, in the same year Jake Paul was born Tyson would be disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Is it good news for boxing that Netflix is involved in this promotion?
It’s a potential game changer to be honest. The reach for this fight is incredible, as Netflix has approximately 200 million subscribers in the US alone.
If the card does significant numbers then don’t rule out one of the world's leading entertainment services gaining a foothold in the sport.
The platform has already infiltrated tennis, remember – Carlos Alcaraz beat Rafael Nadal in the inaugural Netflix Slam at Mandalay Bay's Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas earlier this year.
Importantly, there will be no additional fees for this event, allowing subscribers to enjoy the match without any extra charges. The hope is that Paul’s fistic journey will bring new eyes to the sport, but if this promotion does well then Netflix getting involved with boxing in the longer term must be a good thing, given that HBO and Showtime have severed ties in terms of US coverage.
Is this fight purely a cash grab?
Tyson himself has bristled with anger when it has been put to him that this fight is just about money.
Let’s not forget that he has not simply jumped off the couch after years of eating Doritos and smoking weed to take this fight. In 2020 the New York superstar announced an exhibition fight with fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jnr. This was a version of Tyson with his demons, and his waistline, seemingly much more under control and he looked decent at times in that "Lockdown Knockdown" exhibition.
The fight was a split draw, even though Tyson outlanded Jones Jr (as per Compubox stats) and looked for all the world the winner. Former fighter Vinny Pazienza had it 80-76 for Jones, a scorecard that highly respected fight scribe Dan Rafael described as 'pure insanity'.
For ‘Iron Mike’, the narrative here is that he is a pugilist to his core and one unable to curb his natural instincts. The old Rocky Balboa 'there’s still some stuff in the basement' line.
However, the principal reason this fight is happening is economic. There are no ambitions – for Tyson at least – to make a late run at the world heavyweight title again. To say Mike is a bit past would be like saying the relationship between Manchester United and Liverpool fans is less than cordial.
Paul – the ultimate clout chaser – knows this, and he knows that having a Tyson win on his resume will elevate his own boxing career and level of fame.
Is the undercard any good?
Absolutely. Two of the biggest names in the female code do battle for a second time on the undercard as Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano face off on Friday night in what is a hugely anticipated rematch. Both fighters are ‘pound-for-pound’ superstars, and their first fight was a classic at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in April 2022.
Taylor edged their first fight over two years ago by split decision at the end of 10 fast and furious rounds.
The 23-1(6) Taylor puts her IBF, WBC, WBO and IBO light-welterweight titles on the line against the 47-2-1(31) Serrano, who will be out for revenge here. Serrano is promoted by Jake Paul and the YouTube sensation has fired a few shots at Taylor’s promoter Eddie Hearn in the lead-up to this, so the fight could steal the show.
Mario Barrios meets Abel Ramos in another decent clash for the WBC welterweight title.
How does Paul v Tyson play out?
Try as I might, I cannot get the 2005 image of Tyson sat on the ring canvas by the ropes looking up at journeyman Kevin McBride – his eyes a sad mix of exhaustion and embarrassment – out of my head.
Perception is everything in the modern world. Regardless of what actually happens in life, how we perceive things becomes our reality. This is why millions will tune into this event fully expecting Tyson to roll back the years and smash Jake Paul to defeat with a highlight-reel KO.
He has looked good on the Facebook / Instagram / X online reels, reels which are purposefully short in length to create an illusion that Tyson is the force of old. He looks in decent shape. People pushing 60 can and often do get into good physical shape. But fighting shape?
Paul lost to Tommy Fury in 2023, and was only 200 lbs for his last fight, a blowout victory against Michael Perry. He has never fought higher than cruiserweight until now but has bulked up for this assignment. Tyson meanwhile was 220.4 lb (100 kg) for that Jones Jr exhibition and is likely to be in the same ballpark in terms of his weight this time around.
In terms of height and reach, Paul has the clear advantages. He stands 6ft 1in with a 76-inch reach, while Tyson is 5ft 10ins with a 71-inch reach.
Tyson could be explosive early on, and given the old cliché that power is the last thing a fighter loses, you could not rule out an early KO/TKO win if he comes out swinging.
However, he is pushing 60, has lived a life of extremes, and so it is hard to envisage that he will be able to go eight rounds at a hard pace if everything is on the level.
Paul has been accused of hand-picking MMA opponents to pad out his boxing record, but only lost to Fury via a split decision and has seemingly doubled down in his efforts to learn the finer points of the sweet science.
While there is a real chance Tyson is overwhelmed by the physical nature of the contest given his advancing years, the fact they are fighting in 14oz gloves (professional fighters usually use 8oz or 10oz gloves) and the fact that rounds will be two minutes in duration (as opposed to three minutes) means the smart play here could be betting on a Paul victory via decision or technical decision at 3/1.
The best outcome for boxing is that both combatants come out of this macabre melee unscathed and hopefully smiling.
Jake Paul v Mike Tyson: Big fight details and TV coverage
- When: Friday November 15
- Where: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
- Undercard start time: Undercard 7pm local time, 0100 GMT (Saturday)
- Main Event: Approx 2200 local time, 0400 GMT (Saturday)
- TV channel and cost: Streamed on Netflix (no extra charge on top of subscription)
- Sky Bet odds: Tyson 2/1, Paul 1/2
CLICK HERE to bet on the big fight with Sky Bet
Jake Paul v Mike Tyson: Full fight card
- MAIN EVENT: Jake Paul v Mike Tyson
- Katie Taylor (c) v Amanda Serrano
WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles - Mario Barrios (c) v Abel Ramos
WBC welterweight title - Neeraj Goyat v Whindersson Nunes
- Shadasia Green v Melinda Watpool
- Lucas Bahdi v Armando Casamonica
- Bruce Carrington v Dana Coolwell