Jake Paul rose to combat sports fame when he knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson on the undercard of Mike Tyson’s exhibition boxing match with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.
Now, Paul, the YouTuber-turned-prizefighter, and Tyson, the former heavyweight boxing champion, will meet again — as opponents — in what will be the most polarizing spectacle yet of the recent crossover boxing craze.
Tyson will face Paul in a boxing match July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in the main event of a card that will air on Netflix, officials told ESPN. It will be the streaming company’s first foray into combat sports and its third live sporting event overall. Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) inked a deal with Netflix for a boxing card last Nov. 1, per MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian.
It is unclear how the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which sanctions and regulates combat sports in the state, will approach what will surely be a matchup that garners plenty of criticism and attention. It is yet to be determined whether it will be classified as a pro fight or an exhibition.
Tyson is one of the greatest — and most fearsome — heavyweight boxers to ever live. But he will be 58 at the time of the fight. Paul, at 27, is three decades his junior.