A huge claim has been made about the rules for Jake Paul’s scheduled bout with Mike Tyson later this year.
On Thursday, Paul announced that he would be stepping into the ring with the boxing legend in a superfight July 20.
The bout is slated to take place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will air live on Netflix, with subscribers able to watch the action for free without an added cost.
Tyson, the youngest heavyweight champion in history, retired from professional boxing in 2005.
He got into incredible shape to make a return for an exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr in 2020 but will turn 58 by the time he faces 27-year-old Paul, who moved to 9-1 with an easy win over Ryan Bourland in Puerto Rico last weekend.
→ Swipe to see more articles
Details on the fight have been a little scarce but former heavyweight challenger Derek Chisora claims to be in the know.
Image: Getty
‘Delboy’ claims that the slugfest will effectively be a sparring contest with headguards and 18oz gloves.
Speaking to Radio Rahim, Chisora said: “I know for a fact they are using 18oz gloves and headguards – if I’m not mistaken.
“I think so. So we’re watching a sparring match. It’s a f***ing joke. You think I’m paying to watch that?”
There has been no official word on the rules or weight class for Paul-Tyson, or whether it will be a professional or exhibition contest.
But we do know that it won’t be a regular pay-per-view event and will be Netflix’s first venture into live combat sports ahead of a massive WWE deal.
Image: Getty
Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Paul’s promotional company Most Valuable Promotions, believes the event will shatter boxing records.
“Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is a once-in-a-lifetime dream matchup and I anticipate it will be the most-watched boxing event in modern boxing history,” he said.
Tyson’s last competitive fight was a defeat to Kevin McBride nearly two decades ago and he will be facing a man nearly 30 years his junior.
However, ‘Iron’ Mike has already made his prediction for how the fight will play out.
Speaking after the announcement was made, he said: “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.”
