It has been more than 30 years since Mike Tyson ruled over the boxing world and nearly 20 since he last competed in a professional match.
All that changes on Friday night when the former heavyweight champion steps back into the ring to face the current king of celebrity boxing, Jake Paul, in a sanctioned pro bout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas with a massive global audience watching and another lucrative payday likely in tow for both stars.
Tyson didn’t come across like a fighter in his prime ready to win a world title at Wednesday’s press conference. Instead, his demeanour was more that of a man approaching 60 years old whose only desire at that very moment while on stage surrounded by youths was to throw on a cardigan and sit quietly in a chair that would rival Roger Goodell’s.
That certainly is not the demeanour fans are expecting Tyson to bring to the ring on Friday and Tyson has steadfastly, coldly proclaimed: “I am not going to lose.”
The feared knockout artist doesn’t look like a regular 58-year-old if you’ve watched any of his recent training footage or saw him step on the scale lean and muscular on Thursday for his official weigh-in.
Tyson has delivered some of boxing’s most memorable soundbites of the past four decades and he had another good one in the leadup to Friday’s contest.
“There’s a fundamental difference between me and Jake,” Tyson began. “He’s a manufactured killer. Television and papers made him a killer. He’s manufactured. I’m a natural-born killer. That’s the difference.”
IS MIKE TYSON HEALTHY AND CAN HE TAKE A PUNCH?
Besides the obvious concerns of a 58-year-old competing in a professional boxing match against a 27-year-old with proven knockout power, Tyson had a health scare earlier this year.
Tyson and Paul were originally scheduled to meet in July but the matchup was postponed after Tyson had an ulcer flareup in May and was unable to train. He has insisted this week his health issues are a non-factor and that he feels great.
Whether or not he can still take a decent punch should ultimately determine how the fight itself plays out.
If Friday’s main event unfolds in a similar way to the Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort exhibition match from 2021, it’ll leave longtime Tyson fans with a sour taste in their mouth.
Belfort, a former UFC champion, didn’t hold back with his punches and even though Holyfield looked strong and in great condition, his durability was nowhere near the level it needed to be to compete in a sanctioned fight. Holyfield, one of Tyson’s old rivals, was 58 at the time.
Tyson last laced ‘em up in November of 2020 when he fought fellow legend Roy Jones Jr., in an eight-round exhibition that ended in a split draw and had fans talking about how Tyson should’ve won a decision and how good he looked and moved considering his age.
“I’m just ready to fight,” Tyson added Wednesday. “I’ve said everything I have to say. There ain’t nothing else to say. I’m just looking forward to fighting.”
The 31-year age difference between Tyson and Paul will technically set a new record for the widest age gap in professional boxing history.
WHAT COULD A WIN MEAN FOR JAKE PAUL?
Paul has sandbagged his way to becoming one of the most financially successful prizefighters actively competing in combat sports. Regardless of how unappealing people might view Paul’s often immature and obnoxious promotional tactics, these are the facts.
On the night Tyson fought Jones to a draw, the co-main event saw Paul knockout former NBA star Nate Robinson. Paul’s highlight KO of Robinson was the second win of his pro career but more importantly, it was the one that garnered him serious mainstream attention.
The YouTube star used his win over Robinson to begin attracting attention from professional fighters. He called out Conor McGregor that night and then began taking on aging mixed martial artists and having great success with victories over Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice including one highlight KO), Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz and most recently Mike Perry.
Paul has been saying this week he plans on calling out Canelo Alvarez after he knocks out Tyson. Canelo is 34 and could be approaching the end of his professional career in the relatively near future.
It’s insulting to the Mexican superstar to even mention Paul and Alvarez in the same sentence when discussing boxing skills and accomplishments, however, that disparity could be made irrelevant if there are oceans of money potentially on the table.
Could provoking the boxing world further by embarrassing a legend such as Tyson be enough for Canelo to begin realistically considering a matchup with Paul sometime in the next few years?
Paul has suggested facing Canelo, who competes as a super middleweight, for a cruiserweight title. Canelo facing David Benavidez would be far more appealing to boxing fans but it’s undeniable Paul challenging Canelo would be a massive draw.
“I’m blessed to be in the position I am, to be highly criticized,” Paul said. “That just means I’m doing something right. No one has had a boxing career like mine. It’ll be studied and judged but I’ve risen to the top in four years because I’ve taken risks.”
WHAT ARE THE RULES?
Paul vs. Tyson is scheduled for eight rounds in the heavyweight division. Each round will last two minutes instead of the usual three. Rounds will be scored using the 10-point must system. The fighters will wear 14-ounce gloves.
“Someone’s getting put to sleep,” Paul said. “It’s going to be a war and we’re both heavy hitters. It’s not going the full 16 minutes.”
DO ODDSMAKERS THINK THE FIGHT WILL BE COMPETITIVE?
According to betting odds from BetMGM, Paul is a -175 favourite with Tyson listed as the +175 underdog and +900 odds for the fight ending in a draw.
Paul to win by KO/TKO/DQ is +150 and a Paul decision win is +280. Tyson by knockout is +225 and Tyson via the scorecards is +900. The Tyson knocking down Paul at any point during the fight prop has a +150 value.
All that is to say Tyson is roughly a two-to-one underdog with the oddsmakers expecting the bout to finish inside the distance.
WHAT CAN ‘REAL’ BOXING FANS EXPECT TO ENJOY?
The co-main event of Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor is a rematch of their 2022 split decision. The WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO lightweight titles are at stake.
Taylor got her hand raised over Serrano in a tightly contested bout a couple of years ago. Both women are consensus top-five pound-for-pound talents in women’s boxing and the rematch is an anticipated showdown.
Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos will go toe-to-toe for the WBC welterweight title, plus Canadians Lucas Bahdi (17-0) and Melinda Watpool (7-0) look to both remain undefeated when they face Armando Casamonica and Shadasia Green, respectively.
FULL FIGHT CARD
Heavyweight: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson (eight rounds)
Lightweight: Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano (10 rounds)
Welterweight: Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos (12 rounds)
Super middleweight: Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes (six rounds)
Super middleweight: Shadasia Green vs. Melinda Watpool (10 rounds)
Lightweight: Lucas Bahdi vs. Armando Casamonica (10 rounds)
Featherweight: Bruce Carrington vs. Dana Coolwell (eight rounds)
WHAT COULD THIS MEAN FOR FUTURE BOXING BROADCASTS?
One aspect of this event that makes it unique is the fact it marks the debut of live boxing on Netflix, the global streaming platform with more than 280 million users worldwide.
Time will tell what the ripple effect of this card could mean for the future of boxing events.
