- The showdown between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will be an officially sanctioned boxing match
- Bout will take place over eight two-minutes rounds and 14oz gloves will be used
- Fight takes place on July 20 in Arlington, Texas and streamed on Netflix
The showdown fight between heavyweight legend Mike Tyson and YouTuber Jake Paul has been sanctioned as a professional boxing match by authorities in Texas, where the bout will take place.
This ruling means the fight will count towards their official career records.
The rules of the fight have also been confirmed. It will take place over eight two-minute rounds – meaning it will be shorter than most professional fights – and the gloves will have 14oz of padding, rather than the standard 10oz.
There had been speculation over whether the match would be officially sanctioned or classed as an exhibition, given that it features Tyson, who will be 58 at the time of the fight and has been retired since 2005, against a much younger – Paul is 27 – but inexperienced opponent.
Tyson – nicknamed ‘Iron Mike’ – fought 56 times during his career, winning 50 of those bouts, 44 by knockout. He did return to the ring in 2020 to fight fellow heavyweight legend Roy Jones in an exhibition bout that ended in a draw. Footage of Tyson in training emerged last month showing he still has impressive power in his punches.
Paul rose to prominence as a YouTuber, but has tried to develop a boxing career, first fighting in 2020. His biggest fight to date came in 2023 when he fought Tommy Fury – brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – which Paul lost on a split decision. Currently, his boxing record stands at 9-1 – including beating former UFC contender Nate Diaz.
The fight between Tyson and Paul is scheduled to take place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – the 80,000-seat home of the Dallas Cowboys NFL team – on July 20. Streaming service Netflix has the rights to air the fight – the first time it will show live boxing – and it will not be a pay-per-view event.
