As news broke that 57-year-old “Iron” Mike Tyson will be stepping out of retirement to take on YouTube tough guy, Jake Paul, there were more questions than answers. What type of match will it be? How many rounds? Are we in a fever dream? And does any of that matter, because whatever we might say, we all know we’ll be watching.
Courtesy of Netflix
When and How Can I Watch Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul
The “Fight of the Century” featuring Tyson, who is more than half a century old himself, will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, before a potential crowd upwards of 80,000 bewildered boxing fans. The broadcast rights belong to Netflix, and the show will be beamed live to the world live on July 20, 2024. While details are yet to be confirmed on whether this will be more of an exhibition match with fewer rounds, or will be a bona fide boxing bout, we do know that it’s the kind of must-see-car-crash TV that does little to restore our faith in humanity, but at the same time is totally unmissable!
Tale of the tape
Mike Tyson is 57 years old and is 5’10” tall with a 71” reach. His record stands at 50-6-0.
Jake Paul is a whopping 30 years younger at 27, stands ay 6’1” tall, and has a superior reach of 76”. His record stands at 9-1-0
There’s no doubt that Paul has youth, height, and reach on his side, but that could pale in comparison to the grit and experience of the former heavyweight champion, who has won 44 fights via stoppage. Still, in 2024, one has to ask how much gas Tyson really has left in the tank. Is he coming to punch-out Paul, or simply motivated by a huge payday?
What the Internet is Saying About Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson
With eyes rolling and Netflix subscriptions going up simultaneously, the internet wasn’t slow in sharing it’s opinions on the fight. “Mike don’t do it,” read a comment on his Instagram account although it was unclear if the author was worried about Tyson’s safety or his street cred. “Jake Paul just made the biggest mistake of his life,” read another comment feeling that the YouTuber might have bitten off more than he can chew.
“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 Jake Paul.
“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 off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”
Whatever comes of the fight, and however embarrassed we are to admit that we can’t wait to see, it, Tyson probably said it best: This should be a lot of “fun!”
