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Mike Tyson is set to face Jake Paul in an unexpected boxing match this summer, with the date already confirmed as the 20th July for the highly anticipated showdown.

Paul, who transitioned from YouTuber to professional boxer, recently improved his record to 9-1 with a first-round victory over Ryan Bourland in Puerto Rico on March 2.

Paul’s only loss was last year when he faced Tommy Fury (the brother of Tyson Fury) where he was defeated by the Brit on points.

Whilst Tyson is unsurprisingly the odds-on favourite for the fight, the pair both enjoy flexing their financial muscles with Tyson famously owning a Tiger and Paul often covered in expensive jewelry, but who is worth more?

According to the wealth website Forbes, as of March 2024, Paul has an estimated net worth of $40 million which equates to £31.2 million.

Paul accumulated much of his fortune through YouTube and other social media platforms long before he made the decision to step into a boxing ring. However, he has had numerous seven-figure paydays since entering the boxing world, with reports suggesting he earned more than eight figures for his fight with Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia last year.

The Ohio-born influencer’s other sources of income stem from sponsorship endorsements such as DraftKing.

In 2022, Paul secured a prestigious spot on Forbes’ list of the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes, and in 2023 he was named third on Forbes’ Top Creators list.

Mike Tyson at Jake Paul’s fight- Getty

As of 2024, Paul’s opponent actually has a lower estimated net worth with Tyson’s value suggested to be around $10 million, despite earning a reported $685 million throughout his boxing career.

This is due to Tyson famously losing all his money and filing for bankruptcy in 2003, largely due to his lavish lifestyle which included owning a £3.5 million car collection.

Luckily for ‘Iron Mike’, he managed to regain his status as a millionaire through acting roles such as his cameo in The Hangover as well as his cannabis business which reportedly earns him £500k a month.

Featured Image Credit: Getty, Jake Paul Youtube

Dana White has brutally shut down Conor McGregor’s dream fight timeline.

McGregor has been out of action for nearly three years since suffering consecutive losses to Dustin Poirier.

Despite suggestions that the enigmatic Irishman could make a comeback by fighting Nate Diaz for a third time, UFC chief Dana White threw cold water on the impending possibility of such a match-up.

White was asked at the UFC 299 post-fight presser about McGregor’s status and the chances of him fighting Diaz at UFC 306.

The UFC boss was quick to shut down any prospect the fight could be made imminently, however.

White replied: “I’m looking for Mexicans [to fight] at The Sphere on Mexican Independence Day.

“Yeah, no, I’m not doing that fight.”

McGregor seems set to return to the octagon and fight Michael Chandler this year, though the contest is yet to be confirmed.

The 35-year-old has expressed his frustration at a lack of action from the UFC, having insisted he wants to face Chandler before taking on Diaz around September.

“I wish for [that Diaz fight] on Mexican Independence Day in the Sphere,” McGregor wrote on social media this week. “Chandler, June. Diaz, September. I have let this be known.”

McGregor and Diaz competed in two of the biggest fights in UFC history (Getty)

McGregor and Diaz competed in two of the promotion’s biggest events in 2016. Diaz caused an upset by winning the first bout at UFC 196, submitting McGregor with a rear-naked-choke.

Five months later, however, McGregor bettered Diaz, edging him by decision at UFC 202.

He then went on to become the division’s two-time champion by beating Eddie Alvarez in November of that year.

As for Diaz, it is unclear what his next steps are after trying his hand at boxing in the summer of 2023, only to lose to YouTuber Jake Paul.

UFC legend Tyron Woodley has made a bold claim about Mike Tyson ahead of his fight against Jake Paul.

Tyson will return to boxing when he takes on Paul at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on July 20.

It will be his first appearance in a ring since his exhibition bout against fellow boxing icon Roy Jones Jr back in November 2020.

‘The Problem Child’ was slammed for his ‘shameless’ warning to ‘Iron’ Mike after the shock announcement.

UFC superstar Conor McGregor didn’t hold back as he shared his honest thoughts on Paul vs. Tyson.

Former UFC champion Woodley has also weighed in on the bout which will be aired on Netflix.

Woodley, who won the UFC welterweight title during his MMA career, believes Tyson will beat Paul and thinks the 30-year age difference means nothing.

He also reckons the 57-year-old could beat the current heavyweight champions, with Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in possession of the world titles.

“I mean I’ve been in the ring twice with Jake, and I don’t want to get in the ring once with fucking Mike,” said Woodley.

“The age is not a factor. That’s a wash. Experience level is obviously going to go to Mike Tyson.

“If Jake Paul beats Mike, I don’t give a f**k if he’s 70, you’re gonna have to put at last an ounce of respect on his name.”

Woodley added: “Mike Tyson right now off muscle memory alone could step on the wrong eggshell and let off a combination that could kill most people.

“He has power and ability to shift organs in your body if he hits you with the right force. So I think he forgot more technique than Jake Paul has ever learned in his life.

“If he gets knocked out by Mike Tyson at 58, 59, 60, 71, he would join the other 99% of the regular motherf**kers on Earth, that’s what I say.”

Jake Paul gave a very telling answer when asked if he could beat Mike Tyson back in 2020.

Paul, who scored a big knockout win over Ryan Bourland earlier this month, returns to action on July 20 when he faces boxing legend Tyson.

He posted on social media following the shock announcement, with fans slamming his ‘shameless’ warning.

Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn pulled no punches as he shared his honest thoughts on the fight booking, with Paul’s promoter firing back at his claim.

‘The Problem Child’ is extremely confident of beating ‘Iron’ Mike – but he wasn’t as optimistic back in 2020.

When he was a budding professional, Paul was asked whether he could beat Tyson to which he replied: “F**k no! No, definitely not!”

‼️ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 ‼️ Jake Paul was asked in 2020 if he could beat Mike Tyson 👀🗣️

Paul began his boxing career in 2020 as he kicked off his career with a win over AnEsonGib before beating former NBA star Nate Robinson.

The 27-year-old has since compiled a record of 9-1, beating the likes of Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (x2), Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.

His defeat to Tommy Fury remains the sole blemish on his professional boxing record.

Paul fought Robinson on the undercard of Tyson’s fight against Roy Jones Jr.

After sharing the same card, he now faces the former world heavyweight champion.

“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard,” the 27-year-old said in a statement.

“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.”

A major update on potential rules for the superfight between Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson has been issued following on from claims made by Derek Chisora.

9-1 Paul will step into the ring with the Baddest Man on the Planet on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Instead of pay-per-view, the bout will be shown live on Netflix and be made free for subscribers to the streaming service.

But there has been plenty of intrigue over the fight and the set of rules it will be consist of.

Tyson is one of greatest heavyweights of all time but Paul predominantly fights at cruiserweight.

All ten of his fights have been professional but Tyson’s last bout was a six-round exhibition against Roy Jones Jr in 2020.

Last week former heavyweight challenger Chisora had claimed that the fight will effectively be a sparring match featuring 18oz gloves and headguards.

However, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has debunked that theory. On the latest MMA Hour show, he said that the fight will be a heavyweight contest and they are hoping it will be sanctioned professionally by the Texas commission.

Image: Getty

Helwani is also adamant that there will be no headgear whatsoever and it will have the feel of a regular boxing fight.

He said: “Is it pro or is it exhibition? They want pro, but that’s up to the Texas commission, we’ll have to wait and see. Weight? I’m told heavyweight. Rounds? I’m working on that as well.

“I saw an interview with Derek Chisora where he said there would be headgear. I was told there’s absolutely no headgear involved. This is going to look like your typical boxing match. It’s just like, exhibition like Mike’s last fight was against Roy Jones in November 2020? Or is it just going to be a normal, pro-heavyweight fight that has no strings attached in that regard?”

Jake Paul has sent a video message after controversial Mike Tyson fight rules emerge.

Last week, it was announced that Tyson and Paul will fight at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20.

Confirming the fight, the popular streaming platform, Netflix, wrote: “It’s JAKE PAUL vs. MIKE TYSON — yes, really! — in a LIVE BOXING event at AT&T Stadium you won’t want to miss. Airing live on Netflix Saturday, July 20 #PaulTyson.”

Reacting to the fight, Derek Chisora said on Radio Rahim, via The Mirror: “I know for a fact they are using 8oz gloves and head guards – if I’m not mistaken.

“I think so. So we’re watching a sparring match. It’s a f****** joke. You think I’m paying to watch that?”

American YouTuber turned boxer Paul has since put out a video to address the criticism of him fighting Tyson.

He said: “Oh you’re mad at me for fighting Mike Tyson? Imagine this.

“‘Jake, we got the biggest deal ever you versus Mike Tyson live on Netflix, you’re going to entertain millions of people and make an unbelievable amount of money, what do you think? ‘Nah’.

“Exactly, That’s what I thought. July 20, be there.

Tyson said of facing Paul: “I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T STADIUM IN ARLINGTON, TEXAS. 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.”

Meanwhile, Paul said: “He’s the greatest heavyweight of all time…the most vicious KO artist ever. But I’m younger, I’m faster and I’m going to be working my ass off to get stronger.

“A member of my team sent me this video that Mike’s coach put up two weeks ago and asked me if I’m sure that I want to do this…yes, yes I do. Heavyweight.”

Lennox Lewis claimed in January 2018 that Deontay Wilder wouldn’t have been able to beat the often talked about ‘Prime Mike Tyson,’ and that’s before the Bronze Bomber lost a fight.

The former heavyweight took to Twitter over two years ago, after the American claimed that he could have beaten Tyson back in the late 80s when he was known as ‘Iron Mike.’

The Brit did go on to praise the ‘Bronze Bomber’ for his confidence in his abilities inside the squared circle.

There is no doubt that Wilder is a big believer in his own abilities so his claims about knocking out ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ aren’t out of character.

When TMZ specifically asked Wilder in 2018 if he would stand a chance against Tyson, he unequivocally responded: “Yes.”

But the ‘Bronze Bomber’ went on to proclaim that he fears no heavyweight, past or present, by adding that whether they’re “old school [or] new school, I knock them all out.”

Of course hindsight really does favour Lewis, who claimed he fought Tyson in said ‘prime,’ with Wilder having lost to Tyson Fury at the beginning of this year.

In the build up to the fight the Gypsy King said he was going to stop the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist before the fight went the distance, with Wilder saying in retaliation that Fury had ‘pillow hands.’

That certainly didn’t prove to be the case as the then challenger dropped the champion twice before the fight was stopped in the seventh round.

Since then 54-year-old Tyson is preparing to come out of retirement and created a huge amount of buzz about it.

The year is 1981 and a young Mike Tyson was quickly making a name for himself in the world of boxing. He was an animal. An unstoppable force.

Just take his Junior Olympic gold medal fight against Joe Cortez, for example.

Tyson’s famous speed and agility is clear to see, even at the tender age of 15. He is incredibly developed and skilled in the ring and as a result, his opponent had no chance.

In the opening seconds of the round, a young Tyson almost runs towards a helpless Cortez, throwing lefts and rights like a man possessed.

It took him just under 10 seconds to flatten Cortez, and the rest is history. Tyson would go on to win the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympics and a dominant career in the heavyweight division would follow.

But despite his legacy in the sport, Tyson was not voted the greatest boxer of all time by SPORTbible’s audience.

The legendary Muhammad Ali was instead named the best of all time, beating the likes of Tyson, Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Ray Robinson to the title.

In an online poll, SPORTbible’s audience gave Ali the majority of the vote as ‘The Greatest’ maintained a huge lead throughout, eventually receiving a total of 59% in the overall standings.

Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather was miles behind in second place with 19% while Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray Robinson came in third and fourth with 16% and 6% respectively.

Do you think Mike Tyson is one of the all-time greats?

Mike Tyson couldn’t settle with having dogs, cats, rabbits or fish as his pets. Instead, he had to go ahead and get some tigers.

Essentially, ‘Iron Mike’ got them because he was a “young guy” and thought it would be “cool” before forging a special relationship with them – to the point that he would walk them around his property on leads and even play-fight with them.

Roseanne Barr interviewed the former world heavyweight champion at his mansion back as part of the ‘Inside Edition’ programme back in 1996 and CBS captured some incredible footage of Tyson sparring with his white bengal tiger, Kenya.

There’s playing with your dog and then there’s playing with a tiger. Absolutely no fear in the world from Tyson.

The 53-year old lived with the tiger for over a decade but then, after around 16 years, made the decision to get rid of her.

Speaking to GQ Sports earlier this year, Tyson said: “I did have a pet tiger, her name was Kenya and she was around 550 pounds.

“I had a great affection for her; I kept her, I slept with her, I kept her in my room.

“She stayed with me I had her about 16 years. But she got too old and I had to get rid of her when her eyes and her head got bad.

“Oh and she ripped somebody’s arm off.”

We really wouldn’t be surprised if that last bit is fully serious. If messing around with his pet tiger wasn’t crazy enough, Tyson once wanted to fight a silverback Gorilla for $10,000 back in the 80’s.

A trip to the zoo, which was open just to him after he paid for it, ended in Tyson asking a staff member to let him go up against the animal.

“I paid a worker at New York’s zoo to re-open it just for me and Robin,” Tyson said, recalling the incredible tale.

“When we got to the gorilla cage there was one big silverback gorilla there just bullying all the other gorillas.

“They were so powerful but their eyes were like an innocent infant. I offered the attendant $10,000 to open the cage and let smash that silverback’s snotbox! He declined.”

Having gained experience of fighting tigers, the former ‘Baddest man on the planet’ is due to take on a shark during Discovery’s ‘Shark Week.’

The best champions in boxing’s storied history have included Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Terence Crawford. They all, though, had world title fights against one of these guys: ten of the absolute worst.

First of all, any boxer who is brave enough to step inside the ring deserves respect. But in the (sigh) four-belt era – and with the crazy rankings of alphabet sanctioning bodies – fans of the sport have had some highly dubious champions.

That said, talkSPORT has to impose some order on this top 10, so we are not counting IBO, WBU, WBF, etc champions. Also no WBA (regular) title-holders and no early WBO heavyweight champs when nobody took it seriously. But even with those restrictions, we’ve still got some outlandish boxers who’ve won world titles – from spectacular flops to barely-even-one-fight wonders.

10. Victor Ortiz

There have been far less gifted world champions. But Ortiz is the epitome of a boxer more interested in image and fame than in-ring achievement. Lost by KO to Marcos Maidana in a thriller, won a decision over Andre Berto for the WBC welterweight belt, but Ortiz is best known for a dire first defence when he headbutted Floyd Mayweather, left his chin unguarded, got socked and was stopped. Win-loss record since then is a dismal 3-4-1 and is best known for being the last boxer Mayweather KO’d and for marketing his own range of ‘FaceLube’. No.

9. Jeff Horn

Painful to include one of boxing’s nicest guys. But tough, honest, Australian ex-PE teacher Horn should never have really been a world champion. Gave a valiant effort against an ageing Manny Pacquiao in Brisbane in 2017 and it’s not Horn’s fault he got gifted a decision. Defended his WBO welterweight strap once but lost by KO to Terence Crawford in his next step up to elite level, and has been knocked out by Michael Zerafa and Tim Tszyu since. Horn is a solid boxer, but his title victory over the ‘Pac Man’ is solely down to

8. Caleb Truax

A case of right place, right time for gutsy American Truax. He’d lost all three times he’d stepped up to world class so defeat to IBF 168lb champ James DeGale in 2017 appeared inevitable. Except DeGale, drained by injuries and a war with Badou Jack, did not have a lot left and Truax ground out a majority decision win. He lost a rematch, however, and was outboxed by Caleb Plant in 2021. Truax earned his moment of glory but how many other super-middleweight champions could he have beaten except that shopworn DeGale?

7. Carlos Maussa

Crude Colombian was having some success against overhyped ‘Vicious’ Vivian Harris in 2005, when Maussa suddenly put the WBA light-welterweight champ down in round seven. Maussa then leaned over the flat-out Harris and landed a bonus punch – which could easily have resulted in a disqualification – but got the win anyway. Ricky Hatton blasted him out with a left hook in his first defence and the wide-open Maussa lost his next two after that. Retired with a 20-5 record having never won a fight after his unusual, unexpected world title win.

6. Mickey Bey

Mickey Bey probably shouldn’t be on this list, because he probably shouldn’t be a world champion. The then Mayweather Promotions fighter won a dubious decision over IBF lightweight champ Miguel Vazquez on the undercard of Mayweather-Maidana II in 2014. Ringside analyst Steve Farhood scored it 116-112 for Vazquez, but the stench of the decision was overwhelmed by the stink of an awful fight. Bey was stripped of his title before making a defence, but got another shot at it, losing to none other than Rances Barthelemy. Rancid.

5. Bruce Seldon

Arguably the most embarrassing title defence of any heavyweight champion. Big Bruce picked up the vacant WBA belt by beating ageing Tony ‘TNT’ Tucker, defended it against hapless Joe Hipp, and that earned him a spot on the Mike Tyson post-prison comeback gravy train. With paycheck firmly in pocket, Seldon lasted 109 seconds before being put down by some phantom punches that appeared to sail past his head. Went away for eight years but came back to lose to the likes of Gerald Nobles and Tye Fields. Thanks for nothing, Seldon.

4. Eric Aiken

Good nickname, at least. ‘Mighty Mouse’ Aiken was in an action-packed brawl with IBF featherweight champion Valdemir Pereira in 2005. Pereira had been deducted two points for borderline low blows, when he landed a shot directly on the beltline… and was disqualified in the eighth round. Aiken labelled the Brazilian dirty, a fuming Pereira blamed the referee and high trunks. But that controversial win was the last of Aiken’s career: he lost in his first defence to Robert Guerrero, then went winless in his next eight, retiring with 11 defeats in 29 pro fights.

3. Hector Javier Velazco

An extremely limited fighter, Argentina’s ‘El Artillero’ earned his world title in strange circumstances. Unbeaten Harry Simon was involved in a car crash in 2002 and was forced to give up his WBO middleweight belt, meaning interim titleist Velazco was suddenly upgraded to full champion. However he lost his first defence to Germany’s Felix Sturm – hardly Marvin Hagler himself – leaving Velazco as one of those rare “world champions” who never won a title fight. Never fought for a world title again, retiring with a 37-9-1 record in 2010.

2. Charles Martin

Eddie Hearn knew. When ‘Prince Charles’ ended up winning the vacant IBF heavyweight belt – via the heroic achievement of pre-fight favourite Vyacheslav Glazkov injuring his knee throwing a right hand and being unable to continue – the promoter threw millions of dollars at Martin to defend his title against Anthony Joshua in London in 2016. Five minutes into the fight and AJ was a champion, Martin’s three-month reign ending after two trips to the canvas. The US southpaw was last seen being stopped by 400-year-old Luis Ortiz in January.

1. Luis Santana

Gutsy Dominican Santana actually “beat” a top world champion – hard-hitting but erratic ‘Terrible’ Terry Norris – and defended his WBC light-middleweight title once. But this is the weirdest trilogy in boxing history. Norris was on the verge of a stoppage win in 1994 when he punched Santana on the back of the head, causing the underdog to crumble to the canvas and wait for the DQ. “He was faking it! His eyes were wide open,” cried Norris to no avail.

The American was dominating a 1995 rematch when lightning struck twice. The bell went for the end of the third round and Norris, confused by a bumbling referee, landed two punches after the bell. Santana collapsed again and won via DQ. Norris – now in his own personal Groundhog Day hell – fought Santana a third time and finally blasted him out in two rounds. Santana eventually retired with a 42-17 record but two of those wins, both by DQ, made him a world champion in the bizarrest possible way.

Dishonourable mentions: Jorge Vaca, William Guthrie, Julio Cesar Gonzalez, Juan Urango, Ricky Parkey, Stefano Zoff, Darleys Perez, Bermane Stiverne