Youtuber Jake Paul is scheduled to fight his eleventh professional boxing match on Jul. 20 in the Texas AT&T Arena against fifty-seven-year-old seasoned opponent Mike Tyson. The match will be live-streamed on Netflix, where thousands are anticipated to view the event. But, even months out, fans are already scrutinizing the fight’s integrity.
It is no secret that Jake Paul is not known for his boxing career. His infamy began in the 2010s with his infamously unethical YouTube career. Paul’s boxing started with his win against YouTuber Deji in 2019. Since then, Jake’s record has victories over prestigious opponents, most notably the UFC’s Nate Diaz and Tyron Woodley, but is riddled with questionable fights against much older opponents, like his victory over forty-seven-year-old Anderson Silva. His loss to career boxer Tyson Fury convinced many that Jake’s boxing is not up to snuff with real boxers.
In comparison, “Iron” Mike Tyson’s fame is solely rooted in boxing. Tyson found early success with gold medals in the junior Olympics and became the youngest boxer to claim a heavyweight title at age twenty, securing his spot as one of the greatest boxers of all time. Tyson was notorious for fast knockouts that drove many away from his pay-per-views. In a title fight against Evander Holyfield, Tyson bit both of Holyfield’s ears and managed to tear a large portion of Holyfield’s right ear off, a moment that will not soon be forgotten. He is in the Boxing Hall of Fame and holds fifty wins with six losses.
However, the peak of Tyson’s career was nearly twenty years ago. Today, he is fifty-seven years old.
Aside from minor events, this will be Tyson’s biggest fight since his prime. Although online discussion has been guesswork at best, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) will make a decision on whether the fight will be official or an exhibition match, which means much lower stakes. Many stipulations have been speculated to combat the 31 year age disparity like using heavier gloves and shortening rounds. But, so far, the only official ruling is that both fighters will take prerequisite health tests to determine their eligibility.
Amidst online chatter lies questions about why the fight is even taking place. Many say the fight is nonsensical because of their ages, and the event is just a quick way for promoters to cash in. Viewers want to see Paul out cold on the canvas based on his YouTube shenanigans, and Tyson’s incessant social media posts capitalizing on his saying, “sign the contract big boy,” add fuel to that fire. Most are not interested in discerning the better boxer and are more concerned with the personalities in the event.
The fighters have taken to social media to showcase their training videos, and it seems neither party intends to fold. Regardless of the victor, the fight continues the trend of big celebrity boxing that fanboys love and old-school boxing fans hate. With no end in sight to these bouts, fans will likely see more gimmicky boxing matches in the near future.
