What you need to know about the controversial boxing fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul
Squid Game, Stranger Things and Bridgerton were all Netflix originals – next up for the streaming giant is Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul in the ring.
Netflix’s first live boxing event is expected to attract millions of viewers later this week, despite Paul, 27, being a YouTube sensation turned boxer and the fact that Tyson, once the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, is 58 years old.
Although there is a lot of money at stake (the exact details of who earns what have not been made public), the controversial fight has been frowned upon by members of the boxing community, with British promoter Eddie Hearn describing it as ‘disrespectful’. to sports.
Purists will consider the card’s co-main event the truest form of boxing – and the better quality fight.
The world’s two best female boxers, Katie Taylor (whom Hearn promotes) and Amanda Serrano, meet in a rematch two and a half years after their brutal first fight, with Taylor lifting her IBF, WBC and WBO super lightweight titles . is at stake in what has been called the richest fight yet in women’s boxing.
Katie Taylor (left) and challenger Amanda Serrano pose after the final press conference ahead of their upcoming fight (Ed Mulholland/Getty Images)
How to watch
As Netflix tries to make a breakthrough in live sports, this will be the streaming giant’s first foray into boxing. The streaming services’ live sports portfolio already includes two NFL games on Christmas Day this year as part of a three-season deal and, from 2025, WWE’s weekly show Raw.
Netflix has more than 280 million subscribers in more than 190 countries, all of whom can access the fight at no extra cost, meaning that, unusually for major boxing events these days, this is not a pay-per-view offering.
The action all takes place at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, on Friday, November 15. At the time of publication, the event had not yet sold out.
Starting at 8:00 PM ET (1:00 AM on Saturday, UK time), the card will consist of four periods. While no official announcement has been made yet, Tyson and Paul are expected to begin their ring walks at approximately 11pm ET (4am UK).
What are the rules?
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which regulates combat sports in the US state, has approved the fight so that it can count on the fighters’ records as a professional bout.
However, their gloves weigh four ounces more than those of professional heavyweights (10oz), providing better protection, and the eight scheduled rounds will last two minutes each, rather than the traditional three in men’s professional boxing.
Is this just a publicity stunt?
Mike Tyson, left, and Jake Paul face off during a press conference on Wednesday (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
The fight, originally scheduled for July but postponed due to Tyson suffering from an ulcer, has certainly attracted a lot of attention.
In one corner stands Tyson, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in history, but also one of the most controversial figures in the sport.
In his prime in boxing, the self-proclaimed ‘worst man in the world’ was the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990, and he remains the youngest world heavyweight champion in history, having won the title at the age of 20. story has a dark side.
He was convicted of rape in 1992 and sentenced to six years in prison, of which he served three years before being released on parole. After his release, he regained the WBA and WBC titles and joined a select number of heavyweights, including Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, in regaining those titles.
In 1997, he was disqualified during his Las Vegas rematch with Evander Holyfield – eight months earlier he had lost his regained WBA title to his compatriot – for biting his opponent’s ear. He was fined $3 million and had his boxing license in Nevada revoked for one year. At the pre-fight press conference Wednesday, Paul jokingly wore earmuffs.
Now approaching 60, Tyson is decades past his prime. He was defeated by Irish journeyman Kevin McBride in his last professional fight 19 years ago, while his most recent exhibition fight came in 2020 against Roy Jones Jr. ended in an unofficial draw. But during yesterday’s media session, Tyson repeatedly said, “I’m ready.”
When asked in August why he was getting back in the ring, Tyson replied: “I don’t know, that’s the funny question. Because I can.”
“Who else is he going to fight to make this happen?” Tyson added, remarking to the crowd gathered for that press conference. “We have a YouTuber fighting the greatest fighter who ever lived.”
This is a fight that will appeal to different generations and demographics, given Paul’s appeal to younger audiences. But Paul, who has 20 million subscribers on YouTube, also hopes to become a respected boxer.
What are their details?
Tyson’s professional record is 50-6 with 44 knockouts and two no-contests, while Paul is 10-1 with seven knockouts, although most of his opponents are former UFC fighters and not boxers, including fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib and Nate Robinson include. an ex-NBA basketball player.
His only loss came last year to fellow aspiring professional Tommy Fury, who is the half-brother of former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and previously appeared on the British reality TV show Love Island.
But Paul is not lacking in confidence and there has been a lot of nonsense talk in recent months. “I’m here to make $40 million and take out a legend,” he said in August.
“II am the anti-hero and people will love me soon enough once they realize what I have done for this sport and who I really am…” he continued. “I’m here to make history.”
What do others say?
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn told the BBC this fight was “dangerous, irresponsible and disrespectful to boxing” and said he would leave the arena before the Tyson-Paul fight starts.
Experienced boxing writer Donald McRae wrote in the British newspaper The Guardian: “The idea that he (Paul) should share a ring with the most renowned boxer the world has seen since Muhammad Ali is a shame.”
But Tyson Fury told YouTube channel ProBoxingFans: “Anyone who doesn’t think it’s a fantastic event is jealous.” He added that he “appreciated” Tyson for boxing at his age and Paul for “bringing so many eyeballs to boxing.”
At least there’s Taylor-Serrano…
Taylor and Serrano trade punches in April 2022 (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Taylor headlined a sellout at New York’s Madison Square Garden and retained her world lightweight titles against Serrano in a 2022 fight considered one of the greatest female fights ever. Taylor, 38 and from the Republic of Ireland, went on to lose to English light-welterweight champion Chantelle Cameron before winning a rematch this time last year.
Serrano, a 36-year-old Puerto Rican, is the unified champion at featherweight (so he’ll move up two divisions for this fight at light-welter, where the weight limit is 14 pounds higher) and has won five bouts at that level since the bout. 2022 loss to Taylor, most recently defeating Stevie Morgan with a second-round stoppage. She has won world titles in nine weight classes – a record for a female boxer.
“Legacy is very important,” Serrano said at the press conference on Wednesday. “But my goal is to motivate and inspire these young girls, the new generation in this sport, so that you can do anything you put your mind to. If you believe in yourself and have a great team, you can go far.
“When I say how much I make, it’s not to brag, it’s to show these women that we can make it, we can do it, we can break records. Just strive for excellence and you will achieve it.”
(Top photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
