The undercard for Mike Tyson‘s showdown with Jake Paul is beginning to take shape two months out from the controversial Netflix event.
Tyson is set to climb back through the ropes at the age of 58 in an opinion-dividing bout against online sensation Paul, 27, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20.
Despite the former undisputed heavyweight champion not boxing competitively for close to 20 years, the fight will be a professional contest sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.
Fears have grown for ‘Iron’ Mike’s safety as he prepares to step into the ring with an up-and-coming fighter 30 years his senior, who has knocked out his last two opponents in vicious fashion.
Nevertheless, the bout is still scheduled to go ahead on July 20 regardless of those concerns – and on Tuesday another fight taking place on the undercard was confirmed.
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The undercard for Mike Tyson ‘s showdown with Jake Paul is beginning to take shape
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Tyson is controversially set to return to the ring at the age of 58 in Texas this summer
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The former heavyweight champion will take on Paul, a fighter 30 years his junior
On a show that will also see women’s boxing greats Amanda Serrano – who fights under Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions banner – and Katie Taylor lock horns in a highly-anticipated rematch for the undisputed super-lightweight title, another MVP signing will also be in action.
Indian boxing talent Neeraj Goyat (18-4-2, 8 KOs) is set to make his debut for the promotion against Brazil’s Whindersson Nunes, with the pair scheduled to battle it out in a six-round super-middleweight contest
Goyat, one of the most viral boxers on the planet, was forced to postpone a mega-fight with Amir Khan back in 2019 following a car accident.
Back in February, the 32-year-old got into a heated scuffle with Paul after travelling from India to Puerto Rico to square up to the YouTuber-turned-fighter.
Paul decided to keep his enemy close by signing him to MVP a week after that incident, and three months later he is due to feature on July 20’s blockbuster event in Arlington.
‘I couldn’t be more excited to make my MVP debut on what promises to be the biggest boxing event in history,’ Goyat said.
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India’s Neeraj Goyat (right) is set to make his MVP debut against Brazil’s Whindersson Nunes on the undercard. Goyat was scheduled to face Amir Khan in 2019 (pictured)
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Goyat signed for Paul’s MVP company after getting into a heated scuffle with him in February
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Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will also do battle once more in the co-main event
‘With millions of fans back home in India watching my every move, I’m not just fighting for myself; I’m fighting to make history and make my country proud. Thank you to Nakisa and the entire MVP team and of course Netflix for this opportunity to shine on the biggest stage imaginable. I hope all Indians around the world tune in for this historic event.’
Elsewhere on the card, former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will face Darren Till over six rounds at cruiserweight in the British UFC star’s first boxing outing.
MVP’s undefeated prospect H20 Sylve is also slated to meet fellow starlet Floyd ‘Kid Austin’ Schofield in a 10-round lightweight clash.
Further undercard bouts are expected to be announced at a later date.
