Jake Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, will face former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a boxing match July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Most Valuable Promotions, Paul’s nascent promotional company announced Thursday.
The fight, billed as a “heavyweight boxing mega event” will be streamed live on Netflix.
Paul, 27, picked up his ninth professional win this past Saturday, knocking out Ryan Bourland in the first round. It was the 10th professional fight for Paul, who turned pro in 2020 and fought his second professional fight on the undercard of Tyson’s exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr.
“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard,” said Paul. “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.”
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Tyson, 57, has not been in the ring since the exhibition with Jones. He last fought professionally in 2005, when he was knocked out by Kevin McBride. For nearly two decades Tyson was one of the most feared heavyweights in boxing, racking up a 50–6 record, with 44 of his wins coming by knockout. In 2011, Tyson was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
“I'm very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium,” said 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 on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”
This event will be the latest foray into live sports for Netflix, the streaming giant which has more than 260 million global subscribers. Netflix recently showcased a live tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. Before that, the Netflix Cup was a crossover golf event streamed from Las Vegas.
