Culture Mike Tyson, 57, will return to ring against YouTuber turned fighter Jake Paul - Live on Netflix July 20

Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson will return to the ring against YouTuber turned fighter Jake Paul as the thirst for crossover boxing matchups shows no sign of slowing.

The two are scheduled to face each other at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, on 20 July. The fight will air live on Netflix, the streaming platform’s first broadcast of a combat sports event.

Paul is 30 years the junior of the 57-year-old Tyson, and the fight will be the subject of criticism from those who believe such fights degrade boxing’s standing. Few can deny they are lucrative though: Paul earned about $9m from a loss last year to the boxer and reality TV star Tommy Fury. July’s fight is likely to earn both men far more.

Paul rose to fame as a YouTube prankster but he has developed a lucrative career as a surprisingly competent, if limited, boxer. Before his loss to Fury, he had got off to a respectable start to his fighting career, compiling a 6-0 record, although some of his opponents were of debatable quality. Since then he has won his last three fights. Paul said he has further ambitions as he approaches his fight with Tyson.

“My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion ever, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time,” he said. “This will be the fight of a lifetime.”

Tyson, perhaps unsurprisingly, talked up his opponent’s credentials.

“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,” he said. “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.”

The Texas department of licensing and regulation sanctions fights in the state and it is unclear how they will treat a bout involving a boxer who will be 58 by the time the contest comes around. It could go ahead as an exhibition or as an official professional fight.

At his peak, Tyson was the most destructive heavyweight champion of all time, known for his brutal knockout power. His last fight – an exhibition – came in a draw against another former world champion, Roy Jones Jr, in 2020. Paul fought on the undercard of that bout, knocking out the former NBA star Nate Robinson. Tyson’s last professional fight was in 2005, a loss to the Irish journeyman Kevin McBride.

Netflix has been moving into sports in the last few years, most notably with its successful F1 documentary series Drive to Survive. It has broadcast two live sporting events in recent months: the Netflix Slam, a match between Spanish tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal; and the Netflix Cup which featured golfers and F1 drivers competing against each other.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/mar/07/mike-tyson-jake-paul-boxing-fight-netflix-date-cowboys (Archive)

 

[Party Hat Wurmple]

He was holding back. Had to have been. All those times he was biting his gloves, he was keeping the devil from getting out. I'm glad Jake's alive, but what a let-down. I know Mike had more in him than whatever that was.

Oh I didn't buy this sham for a second. You're gonna tell me the 60 year old guy dodging punches like he's Goku with Ultra Instinct got gassed due to endurance? By the 8th round he's hopping around like Mohammad Ali and like he hasn't aged a day.

I'm inclined to suspect that Mike Tyson honestly did the best he could and just got gassed after a couple of rounds while Jake held back out of concern for Mike's health and image. Those who have insisted that Old Man Mike could beat up Jake are just delusional.

I don't buy that either. Use your eyes for a god damn minute. Tyson has muscles and veins literally bulging out of his arms. Jake bulked up, sure but his muscles lack definition. There is none of that strength in Jake's body. You can tell he really did a lot of a bulk weight training to put on the extra 20lbs from his last 190 fight. However, none of it has definition. He looks like he's struggled to make the weight that he did. You're gonna tell me Tyson, who dove in round 1 and started rocking Jake's shit, suddenly wasn't capable and spent 7 more rounds barely even throwing any punches? Hell there are at least two rounds where he didn't throw any punches at all. The guy didn't even average 10 punches per round.

It's not that Tyson couldn't throw punch. He wasn't allowed to throw a punch and it's painfully obvious. Jake doesn't want to get knocked out by a 60 year old man. That's devastating for his brand, even if it is Tyson. Jake's ego won't allow it. If you don't believe me, Jake's fucking boxers cost over a million dollars and were encrusted with jewels. You think they're even going to chance letting Tyson get blood on those? Fuck no. He took a dive for money. His answer about his legacy should speak volumes about how he's willing to what sacrifice what he has to for a sweet payday. To be fair, at 60 a lot of people probably would, I'd sure as fuck consider it.

 

[Karamanlis]

I'm inclined to suspect that Mike Tyson honestly did the best he could and just got gassed after a couple of rounds while Jake held back out of concern for Mike's health and image. Those who have insisted that Old Man Mike could beat up Jake are just delusional.

This is 100% correct. Folks, Mike Tyson is 60 years old, and his knees are shot. He was slow and off balance the entire fight. The only person who held back in that fight was Jake Paul.

 

[HOMO FOR LIFE RETURNS]

This is 100% correct. Folks, Mike Tyson is 60 years old, and his knees are shot. He was slow and off balance the entire fight. The only person who held back in that fight was Jake Paul.

Yeah, major props to Jake Paul for not beating down Mike Tyson. It would have been a bad optic anyway.

 

[The Lawgiver]

I don't know what all of you saying "paul was holding back" are fucking smoking the entire special kept hyping him up and he was panting and flailing like a retard towards the end. Meanwhile mike was just blocking constantly and letting hm get in hits in places that wouldn't hurt too bad. Like seriously rewatch the footage it's fucking abysmally rigged. and 'm not even talking about the age gap thing. Shit was faker than professional wrestling lmao. So many chances for tyson to just slug him in the fucking face and he just doesn't take the shot.

EDIT:Someone earlier in the thread this thing was hosted by the paul's company. Yeah ok it makes sense and I hate it even more now.

 

[Salt Upon Wounds]

...did they really have to show us Mike's bare ass?

watching 60 year old iron mike tyson give his son a sloppy kiss and then walk off while the camera slowly panned down to his bare ass on live tv... and nobody said a word about it for seconds that felt like a lifetime.. until mauro, who obviously wasnt bullied hard enough by jbl because he still doesnt know when or how to shut the fuck up, finally squeaks out "well we coulda done without that back shot" ... shit made me feel like i was in the twilight zone

 

[George Lucas]

Bullshit fake fight I hope Netflix’s stock goes down. What’s he gonna pull next? Paul vs. George Foreman?

 

[Lookie-lou]

yeah it was exactly as impressive as if i a 29 year old man beat the fuck out of my dad a 45 year old man.

No offence, but that says more about your dad than you unless your mum gave you some chad genes. Men shouldnt be falling off a cliff physically in a way they cannot repair with exercise till their early 50s. But perhaps I've see too many videos of older men fighting off diversity mobs half their age.

 

[el bandito loco]

No offence, but that says more about your dad than you unless your mum gave you some chad genes. Men shouldnt be falling off a cliff physically in a way they cannot repair with exercise till their early 50s. But perhaps I've see too many videos of older men fighting off diversity mobs half their age.

that's the point

 

[The Lawgiver]

No offence, but that says more about your dad than you unless your mum gave you some chad genes. Men shouldnt be falling off a cliff physically in a way they cannot repair with exercise till their early 50s. But perhaps I've see too many videos of older men fighting off diversity mobs half their age.

I am 100% dead serious when i say this. Last night I had an argument with my family over some REALLY stupid shit that somehow against all logic and reason escalated in a way that resulted in my 60 something dad fucking grabbing me and slamming me into the wall and then across the fucking room onto the ground . I'm not a wimp weight wise and he's not really active, guys out of shape and looks almost like a 1to 1 of the wimpy balding but well meaning salaryman phenotype minus the asian part. If a guy like that who's about double the age of another adult man his same general weight and height can pull that shit off then mike could have done even worse to paul given how in shape he is and how visibly unhindered he was by Paul's flailing. I think part of what made this BS hurt more is the painful yet retroactively kind of funny shit that went down literally the night before with my family.

Would have probably brought up that wild ass story somewhere else if it weren't for this Jake paul thing making me think about it. Shit's too funny not to share. Back of my head and neck are still sore as fuck I'm surprised I apparently didn't get a concussion with how hard my head hit shit. it appears all my chad genes went into my durability, but not pain removal type durability because shit still hurts like hell and bruises. Not the first time in my life some absurd series of events led to me getting hurt like hell by some out of pocket shit but somehow not fucked up long term. Also in the rare possble case I DO end up fucked up long term and randomly die like toriyama did a while after his head injury due to shit that showed up later you'll know why I'm gone lmao.

 

[Whoopsie Daisy]

Even if Tyson was paid to take a dive or not fight, I was hoping his rage would win and he would knock Paul TFO in the first few seconds of round 1.

How he held back, I have no idea but Mike Tyson is a shadow of his former self and not physically or in boxing ability, but because he has become weak in the mind and soul.

 

[Oilspill Battery]

Lots of unhinged bloodlust in this thread.

 

[CAPTAIN HAPPY]

I was hoping everyone hoped the rig will work, but Mike will unleash the beast and pulverize the kid.
Nope.
It was just your average rigged gig for money.

 

[Rei is Shit.]

yeah it was exactly as impressive as if i a 29 year old man beat the fuck out of my dad a 45 year old man.

teen dad lol

 

[Falcos_Commisar]

It's not that Tyson couldn't throw punch. He wasn't allowed to throw a punch and it's painfully obvious. Jake doesn't want to get knocked out by a 60 year old man. That's devastating for his brand, even if it is Tyson. Jake's ego won't allow it. If you don't believe me, Jake's fucking boxers cost over a million dollars and were encrusted with jewels. You think they're even going to chance letting Tyson get blood on those? Fuck no. He took a dive for money. His answer about his legacy should speak volumes about how he's willing to what sacrifice what he has to for a sweet payday.

Agreed. This entire event was a Jake Paul ego jerk off fest.

He is NEVER going to allow himself to get into a fight where the outcome is in serious doubt.

The Paul brothers are fucking scumbags and I sincerely hope Jake Paul is KO'd someday in the ring I know it'll probably never happen.

I'm just praying a massive lawsuit bankrupts them

Lots of unhinged bloodlust in this thread.

Because Jake Paul deserves it

I was hoping everyone hoped the rig will work, but Mike will unleash the beast and pulverize the kid.
Nope.
It was just your average rigged gig for money.

Yep. Fuck the scum sucking Paul brothers

 

[MadStan]

If it weren’t for the first 3 fights of the night (2 of which were very good), such a main event this shit by all rights would normally see the companies and people involved lambasted beyond recognition.

Paul hardly touched Tyson despite looking like he was exhausted and had had the fight of his life. Tyson looked tired the whole time and landed 18 shots and got paid over a million per shot.

Netflix servers were a disaster.

 

[skunt]

Last night I had an argument with my family over some REALLY stupid shit that somehow against all logic and reason escalated in a way that resulted in my 60 something dad fucking grabbing me and slamming me into the wall and then across the fucking room onto the ground

wouldn't happen if you had a gun, retard

 

[beet644]

Yeah, major props to Jake Paul for not beating down Mike Tyson. It would have been a bad optic anyway.

But imagine the memes

 

[Oilspill Battery]

Because Jake Paul deserves it

He's just an annoying eceleb, people in the thread are going "I HOPE HE GETS FUCKING RAPED TO DEATH".

 

[Slimy Time]

But I do think the novelty of Paul's boxing is wearing off. This got massive because of Mike Tyson and the legend behind his name, but I think this is it for this gimmick. Paul might fight another big name from the past whowants to make a ridiculous amount of cash out of his fights, but the public might be over it.

Also, it is useless to wonder if Paul is going to fight someone who can actually box and isn't twice his age, that isn't going to happen, the man isn't a boxer and he isn't going to put himself in a position to be humiliated.

Feels like eventually that’s how it’s got to go. Think Bellew was throwing his hat into the ring but at this point, he’s not a bigger name than 57 year old Mike Tyson.

Tyson is one of the very few boxers (like Ali) to transcend the sport and become an international figure. This 60 year old man had people believing he could turn the clock back because he has that level of click with the public consciousness.

That’s about as good as Paul is going to get unless he steps up with an actual currently active top superstar boxer like Canelo or whoever. I believe he called out Canelo. I guess if Canelo decides to do it he will clown the much larger Jake Paul but idk where he goes from here.

 

[HodgePodgeRogerDodger]

I don’t think it was rigged. Tyson did command the fight, but at a certain point Paul realized he could go to Tyson bad knee and Tyson couldn’t close the gap with that leg.

After round 5, it was over. Tyson’s age showed and he was tired. He rocked Paul a few times. Tyson looked good for an almost 60 year old man, Paul did the most boring thing possible. He stayed out of Mike’s range and really only scored points in the last 4 rounds due to Mike being out of breath.

Mike impressed me for still being able to go the distance. If he had more time to strengthen his knee/ get a better brace and get used to it then we probably would’ve seen him be more aggressive. It really is his knee problem that kept him out.