And Now Mike Tyson Is Fighting Jake Paul Live on Netflix
If a silly golf tournament and exhibition tennis were not your thing, can Netflix interest you in Mike Tyson boxing Jake Paul live? Yes, yes, it can.
The streamer will host the fight on Saturday, July 20, 2024 from the 80,000-seat capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Someone copyright “Malice in Dallas” — quick.
Tyson’s professional record is 50-6 with 44 KOs, Paul’s is 9-1 with 6 KOS. There is quite a significant age difference between the two: Tyson is 57 and Paul is 27. Good luck handicapping this one, sportsbooks.
Paul recently knocked-out a pair of professional boxers and Golden Glove winners: Ryan Bourland this past Saturday, March 2, and Andre August in December 2023.
Tyson has earned every letter in his “Baddest Man on the Planet” moniker. At 20, Tyson was the youngest heavyweight champion ever when he ratted off 37 consecutive victories, 33 of them by KO, with many of them ending in the first round.
“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard. Now, less than four years later, I’m stepping up to face Tyson myself to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing’s most notorious fighters and biggest icons,” said Paul.
Paul has something of an existing relationship with Netflix. He was featured on its “Untold” series of sports documentaries from brothers Maclain and Chapman Way (“Wild Wild Country”).
“Whether you’re tuning in on Netflix or showing out in person, whether you’re team Paul or team Tyson, or whether you’re a lifelong boxing fan or watching your first fight, you’re not going to want to miss this event.” Paul continued. “I could not be more excited to make this amazing fight available to all Netflix subscribers alongside the hardest hitter of all time, Mike Tyson, on Saturday, July 20th. My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion ever, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. This will be the fight of a lifetime.”
Tyson’s last professional fight was a loss in 2005 to Kevin McBride. In 2020, he returned for an exhibition fight with fellow all-time-great Roy Jones Jr., who is two years younger than Tyson. The two fought to an eight-round draw.
“I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” said Mike Tyson. “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 on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”
“Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history,” said Gabe Spitzer, VP of nonfiction sports, Netflix. “Saturday, July 20 will be pure drama in the ring in Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Most Valuable Promotions for this historic event and we can’t wait for these two to face off for fans all across the world on Netflix.”
Netflix may as well keep the ring set up. In its most significant move into sports-adjacent programming to date, Netflix struck a deal to take WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” off of USA Network’s hands. The biggest show in professional wrestling will head to the streamer in 2025. Netflix acquired the rights for 10 years at a price tag north of $5 billion.
And yes, we know they are different rings.
