Boxing legend Mike Tyson will lace up his gloves and take on YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in July.
Tyson, a former heavyweight champion, will face Paul, a boxer, in the ring on July 20 in the main event of a card that will be broadcast on Netflix, officials told ESPN. Now 57, Tyson will be 58 when the fight takes place, facing the much younger Paul, who is 27.
This will be the first time the streaming company has broadcast a combat sport live and its third live sporting event overall.
This isn’t the first time Tyson and Paul have appeared on a boxing card together. In 2020, Paul fought in a pay-per-view event that saw him defeat former NBA player Nate Robinson by second-round knockout.
The email you need to receive the biggest news of the day in Canada and around the world.
In the same event, Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr., which marked his first boxing match since 2006.
“It’s crazy to think that in my second professional 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 am putting myself forward to face Tyson to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing’s most notorious fighters and greatest icons.
“My goal is to become world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all the temperature. This will be the fight of your life.
In the same statement, Tyson said he was “very much looking forward” to meeting Paul in the ring.
“He has grown considerably as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the drive and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and skills of a GOAT (the greatest of all time.) It’s a full circle moment that will be beyond exciting to watch as I started him on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I; I intend to finish it.
To date, Paul’s professional record stands at nine wins and one loss, with six knockouts since his debut in January 2020. His most recent victory, a TKO, came against Ryan Bourland on March 2. Tyson’s professional record stands at 50 wins and six losses, with 44 knockouts.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
“Amateur problem solver. Hipster-friendly alcohol lover. Beer buff. Infuriatingly humble tv geek.”
