It was revealed yesterday that the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson is going to be a fully sanctioned professional fight that will appear on both men’s records and now Paul’s promoter has broken his silence and had his say on the matter.
The fight, which takes place on July 20 between YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul and heavyweight boxing legend and former world champion Tyson will sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.
It will be contested over eight two-minute rounds and both men will be wearing 14-ounce gloves, per all professional bouts. Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian has given a statement to ESPN on the matter.
“Mike Tyson and Jake Paul signed on to fight each other with the desire to do so in a sanctioned professional fight that would have a definitive outcome. Over the past six weeks, MVP has worked with its partners to satisfy the requirements of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) to sanction Paul vs. Tyson, and we are grateful that we have gotten to this point.”
So far in the build-up, many people have expressed concern for both men given the vast difference in experience, but also in age, as more than three decades separate the two, and Tyson has often had health issues, including sometimes being seen to all with a stick.
He hasn’t fought for 19 years and was stopped in his last two contests – by Danny Williams in 2004 and Kevin McBride in 2005. At that point, he had already clocked up 50 wins but his last one came against Clifford Etienne by KO in February 2003.
For his part, Paul has also posted a message on X to express his views on the news.
“Mike Tyson wanted it to be a pro fight. Netflix wanted it to be a pro fight. So I agreed to make it a pro fight. Winner takes all”
Paul’s ascent in combat sports has been meteoric after he catapulted himself into the spotlight with his knockout victory over former NBA player Nate Robinson on the Tyson vs. Roy Jones undercard.
Since then, he’s become a fixture in high-profile, big-money events, participating in a series of crossover boxing matches against notable opponents from both boxing and MMA backgrounds.
With a record of 9-1, with 6 knockouts, Paul has notched wins against former UFC stars like Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz.
Despite experiencing a setback in the form of a decision loss to Tommy Fury in 2023, Paul redirected his focus towards facing opponents with more boxing experience.
Boxing Social is now on WhatsApp! Join our channel by clicking here and getting all the latest boxing news direct to your phone.