Jake Paul Vs. Mike Tyson Set For July 20 On Netflix
The YouTuber-turned-prizefighter, 27, is fighting Tyson, who will be 58, live on Netflix.
Jake Paul first made a splash in boxing when he knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson on the undercard of Mike Tyson’s exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020. Now the polarizing YouTuber-turned-pugilist is set to box Tyson himself live on Netflix.
Tyson—who will be 58 at the time of the fight—is scheduled to face Paul, 27, in a boxing match on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in the main event of a card that will air on Netflix, officials told ESPN.
It will be Netflix’s first foray into combat sports and its third live sporting event overall. Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) inked a deal with Netflix for a boxing card last Nov. 1, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian told ESPN.
“Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is a once-in-a-lifetime dream matchup and I anticipate it will be the most-watched boxing event in modern boxing history,” Bidarian said in a statement.
In his late 1980s prime, Tyson was considered one of the most fearsome heavyweight boxers of all time. He was boxing’s youngest-ever heavyweight champion and was undisputed champ from 1987 to 1990.
Tyson boxed Jones to a draw in their exhibition match in 2020, and has looked impressive in social media videos that show him training. But “Iron Mike” hasn’t had an actual pro fight since 2005 and was stopped in two straight losses before retiring from the sport nearly two decades ago.
“[Paul has] 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 in a statement.
“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.”
Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) has famously beaten faded former UFC stars including Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley following the Robinson knockout in lucrative pay-per-view events. Paul, who turned pro just four years ago, is coming off first-round knockouts of little-known opponents Andre August and Ryan Bourland.
“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard,” Paul said in a statement.
“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. Within just two and a half years of founding MVP, we’re about to produce the biggest fight in history, a fight in the biggest NFL stadium in the US, broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world—a testament to all we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time.”
Paul was featured in an episode of the Netflix series “Untold” last year. Netflix, which is moving aggressively into live sports, streamed the Netflix Cup, a competition between Formula 1 drivers and golfers, and the Netflix Slam, a tennis match, over the past four months.
ESPN
“Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history,” Netflix vice president for nonfiction sports Gabe Spitzer said in a statement. “Saturday, July 20 will be pure drama in the ring in Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Most Valuable Promotions for this historic event and we can’t wait for these two to face off for fans all across the world on Netflix.”
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