Mike Tyson has confirmed his summer showdown against Jake Paul will be classified as an exhibition instead of a professional bout.
The boxing world was left stunned after the shock news that YouTuber Paul and veteran fighter Tyson would face each other in Texas on July 20 in a lucrative bout set to be aired live on Netflix, with fans and pundits widely criticising the event.
But one of the main questions was whether the fight would be officially sanctioned as a pro bout that would go on both of their records, or if it would just be an exhibition with no winner declared.
Tyson, 57, has already fought in an exhibition since his career ended, taking on Roy Jones Jr in 2020 – while all of Paul’s fights have been on his professional record.
Revealing the official classification of the fight, Tyson defended it and insisted it would still be fought under ‘real fight’ rules.
Tyson and Paul announced shocked the boxing world with news they will fight in Texas in July
‘This is called an exhibition, but if you look up exhibition, you won’t see any of the laws we’re fighting under,’ he told Fox News.
‘This is a fight. I don’t think he’s faster than me. I’ve seen a YouTube video of him at 16 doing weird dancing. That’s not the guy I’m fighting. This is a guy who’s going to try and hurt me, which I’m accustomed to, and he’s going to be greatly mistaken.’
When asked by the news anchor if Tyson would ‘kick his a**’, the hall of famer boxer was bullish, but said he was still ‘scared to death’ ahead of the summer fight.
‘Right now, I’m scared to death,’ he added. ‘As the fight gets closer, the less nervous I become because it’s reality, and in reality I’m invincible.’
Tyson has admitted he is ‘scared to death’ ahead of his fight against the Youtuber (right)
Ex-heavyweight champ Mike Tyson trains ahead of bout with Jake Paul
Tyson also said he was keen to teach Paul – 30 years his junior – a lesson, though he claimed there was no bad blood between them.
‘I will do just that but dislike him? I do not have no grudges against him, he’s beautiful – not from that perspective.’
The fight between Paul and Tyson is being held at the 80,000-seater AT&T Stadium in Texas, which is the home of NFL team Dallas Cowboys.
In addition to the fight being announced as an exhibition, the rules for the fight have also been revealed.
Paul and Tyson will be wearing 16-ounce boxing gloves instead of the traditional 10-ounce gloves used in professional fights.
Two-minute rounds will be in place instead of the usual three-minute rounds and there will be no official judges ringside to score the fight.
The majority of the rules – other than the glove weight – are the same as when Tyson took on Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout in November 2020
The high-profile fight will take place with no headgear, with Tyson the heavy favorite to win
The only way either Paul or Iron Mike could win the fight would be if there was a knockout on the night.
It comes after Tyson hit back at ‘jealous’ critics of his fight against Paul.
‘I’m 58, and what? I’m getting billions of views from just talking about fighting,’ he told Reuters.
‘Everybody, even most of the athletes, they’re jealous… You couldn’t sell out an arena. Who at 58 can sell out an 80,000-seat arena? Why do you think he wants to fight me and not anybody else?
‘All the boxers want to fight him. But if he fought them, the only people that will come are the people that like him. Their parents might not even come watch them.’
