Mike Tyson is coming out of retirement to face Jake Paul in a heavyweight boxing match this summer. Paul has promised to ‘put Iron Mike to sleep’ when they meet in the ring on 30 July.
The bout will be at the 80,000-seater AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Netflix is partnering with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) for the first time and will exclusively stream the event globally, making it available to all subscribers.
Paul is coming off of a second-straight first-round knockout against a pro boxer. He beat Ryan Bourland in Puerto Rico last weekend and won against Andre August in Orlando, Florida in December last year.
Comparatively, Tyson has not been in the ring since an exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020, which ended in a split draw. That was just the second exhibition since the former heavyweight champion hung up his gloves professionally in June 2005, three years after last contending for world titles against Lennox Lewis.
“I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul,” Tyson said in a statement shared announcing the fight. “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.”
Paul has also reacted to the announcement. “It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard,” he said.
“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. Within just two and a half years of founding MVP, we’re about to produce the biggest fight in history, a fight in the biggest NFL stadium in the US, broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world – a testament to all we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time.
“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. 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.”
