Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will spar on Friday, November 15th, at 8:00 P.M. EST in a highly anticipated boxing match.
The first fight was canceled due to an ulcer flare-up Tyson suffered on May 27th. This sports match is streamed on Netflix and will be live to all audiences tuning in. The event will take place in Texas, in Arlington’s massive AT&T Stadium, the heart of the Dallas Cowboys.
The match is an opportunity for generations to clash as never-seen-before in sports history and the event is officially sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations. Tyson and Paul’s confrontation in the ring creates an astonishing crossover, capturing the eyes of millions worldwide. Tyson was offered an incentive of $20 million in participation to exchange blows against his upcoming rival.
Tyson’s journey has not been easy. He has faced turmoil and financial burdens previously, however, he has countered these setbacks through his entrepreneurial pursuits. Tyson amassed over $430 million during his boxing career, but poor spending and bad investments led him to financial ruin. By 2003, he filed for bankruptcy with debts reportedly reaching $23 million.
Jake Paul is estimated to earn double Tyson’s earnings with $40 million, scoffing, “I’m here to make $40 million and knock out a legend.” The fight is budgeted at approximately $80 million.
Although, Tyson has assured, “This fight is not going to change my life financially. If I did it for free, it’s not going to change my life. My wife is constantly telling me, ‘You do not need to do this fight.’ This is what I want to do; this is me. I’m seeking my glory.”
Unlike Tyson, Paul’s career has been built through rival propositions against athletes who are considered “past their prime.” But according to a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Mike Tyson trains everyday and “doesn’t think Paul is faster than him despite being half his age. The 58-year-old also said “his 27-year-old opponent has come a ‘long way’ from his days as a YouTube influencer.’”
According to Sports Illustrated, Mike Tyson stated, “Well, it was a no-brainer, it was just he was the new up and coming guy in the scene and I like shaking the sports world to his core and I’m doing it now. It’s just something I want to do. I really like Jake a lot; but once he’s in that ring, you have to fight like his life is dependent on it, because it will be.”
Tyson, who had won the World Heavyweight Champion title when he was just 20-years-old, (1986) retired at the age of 39 (2005). Burdened with a string of losses and legal issues, Mike Tyson’s retirement that year shocked the public. Many spectators view Iron Mike as the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet,’ for his raw, powerful, and brutal peek-a-boo sparring style.
Jake Paul is willing to fight the former heavyweight champion, declaring: “I’m a natural-born heavyweight. This is what I was born to do, move up into this weight class, and I’m going to show Mike who has more power. Because he’s underestimating me. I think everyone else is underestimating me. I know I’m going to have to fight through adversity. I’m scared, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not about the fear stopping me. It’s about going into it even though I am scared. And that’s what true bravery is.”
Tyson also stated: “No one else can do it. So you got the both of us and we’re going to do this. And we’re friends. There’s no doubt it’s friends. But in that ring we’re not going to be friends.”
Notably, the 31-year age gap between these two fighters is staggering.
Nevertheless, Jake Paul could overcome this opposition.
Previously, Paul has fought against MMA Fighters, Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva. Paul is actively working with his trainer, and has increased his weighted muscle mass in order to accommodate formal class divisions in the sport.
Tyson and Paul will wear 14-ounce boxing gloves, heavier than regular gloves, and have no headgear included. No other additional equipment will be in use, not even headguards.
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are set to compete in the heavyweight division, the class where Tyson achieved six championship titles during his career.
In this division, fighters face no maximum weight restrictions, allowing both Paul and Tyson to skip concerns about making weight before Thursday’s weigh-in. With a minimum weight requirement of 200 pounds, this bout marks Paul’s debut at this weight class, having previously fought between 185 pounds and 200 pounds. Paul plans to weigh in at approximately 220 pounds, while Tyson is anticipated to enter the ring at a heavier weight. During his prime, Tyson typically weighed around 218 pounds, and his heaviest opponent was Kevin McBride, who weighed 271 pounds, whom he had lost to.
As the November 15th match approaches, the anticipation among boxing fans continues to grow. Tyson’s experience meets Paul’s energy in a fight where power and skill will be on full display. The ring will be a battleground for ambition, promising a knockout that the boxing world won’t soon forget.
