Jake Paul is getting back in the ring to take on an opponent who will be 58 years old at the time of the fight. But Paul’s opponent isn’t an ordinary fiftysomething: Boxing legend Mike Tyson will do battle against “The Problem Child” in a spectacle that will be broadcast live on Netflix.
The bout is scheduled for July 20, with AT&T Stadium (the home of the Dallas Cowboys) serving as the host venue. Netflix partnered with Most Valuable Promotions to put on the event, which could draw a live, in-person audience of up to 80,000 attendees.
The combatants took opposite paths to their upcoming clash. Paul is a social media star who magnified the influencer boxing trend after a series of strong performances in the ring. His only loss came against fellow influencer Tommy Fury. Tyson, of course, is a former heavyweight champion who claimed fame with a ferocious string of knockouts in the 1980s before running into several legal issues in the 90s. He has since reinvented himself as a screen personality, appearing in films like The Hangover.
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A matchup between an unconventional upstart and a retired legend sounds like a fantastic show in theory, though there are lingering questions about how hard Paul and Tyson will fight when they meet in Dallas. In some matches of this ilk — such as the 2021 bout between undefeated champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Jake Paul’s brother Logan — the fighters treat the event as an exhibition. Paul defied that trend in 2020 when he took on Nate Robinson as part of the undercard for a Tyson fight. Paul knocked out the retired NBA player in the second round.
“I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” Tyson said in a statement. “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. It’s a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch; as I started him off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”
The July 20 showdown will not be the first time that a rising star meets an aging sports legend live on Netflix. The streamer recently aired the Netflix Slam, which pitted top-ranked tennis player Carlos Alcaraz against his Spanish compatriot Rafael Nadal.
Paul will need every scrap of his youthful exuberance if he plans to defeat Tyson, but no matter the outcome of the bout, The Problem Child’s fans will be looking ahead to a potentially juicy matchup. Paul seems to be on a collision course with fellow influencer boxer KSI, though the two creators have mostly kept their negotiations to trash talk thus far.
