It’s real! Mike Tyson’s July 20 fight versus Jake Paul in Arlington, Texas, has been sanctioned as a professional fight by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.
According to ESPN, the fight will be officially added to both boxers’ professional records. The rules require both fighters to use 14-ounce gloves over eight two-minute rounds.
“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,” Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said in a written statement. “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.”
The boxing match, which is scheduled to take place at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys and will stream live on Netflix.
Tyson, who will be 58 when the fight takes place, will be fighting a 27-year-old man. The 31-year age gap between the two men is the largest in pro boxing history. Archie Moore, 49, went up against 25-year-old Mike DiBiase in 1963. Moore won by a third-round TKO.
Tyson, the former heavyweight champion, has a record of 50 wins and 6 losses. He hasn’t fought since an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020. Paul, who calls himself “The Problem Child,” has a professional boxing record of 9-1 and became popular through his YouTube channel before he started fighting on a professional level.
“This is a fight. I don’t think he’s faster than me, I’ve seen a YouTube of him at 16, doing weird dances, that’s not the guy I’m going to be fighting,” Tyson said. “This guy’s gonna come, he’s gonna try to hurt me, which I’m accustomed to, and he’s gonna be greatly mistaken.”