If his comments from 2022 are anything to go by then former world champion Mike Tyson is full of confidence coming into his much-anticipated bout against Jake Paul.
It was announced on Thursday that Tyson will go toe-to-toe with YouTube personality Paul, who extended his professional record to 9-1 with a first-round victory over Ryan Bourland in Puerto Rico on March 2.
The event will be streamed exclusively on Netflix on Saturday, July 20, 2024 from the 80,000-seat capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Partnering with Netflix to bring Paul vs Tyson to audiences worldwide is a "strategic decision to ensure this once in a lifetime event that connects six generations of sports fans is distributed globally to hundreds of millions of fans."
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“I'm very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul," said Tyson when the announcement was made.
“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.”
Tyson, who looked in fine shape for his exhibition bout against Jones 2020, has been vocal about Paul's boxing career to date. Back in April 2022, he commented on the 27-year-old's decision to step into the ring.
“I love the fact he jumped into the game," he said. "People don’t understand that boxing needs that. At this stage in boxing the greatest fighters are not fighting each other, boxing needs a guy like this.”
At the time, Tyson was full of praise for both Jake and Logan Paul, who went the distance in an exhibition fight with former five-division champion Floyd Mayweather.
But the former world champion said he would wipe the floor with the brothers in a no-nonsense prediction.
“[Jake’s] punches you can see coming a mile away, you can see that coming a mile away. I’m 55, I can see that coming a mile away," Tyson added.
“I would beat these f***ers [Jake and Logan Paul]. I’d go straight at them, there would be no boxing. The only thing I got to do is be in shape. 30 days of boxing training every day and I can fight anyone.
"If I’m boxing every day I wouldn’t even have to worry about diet.”
Speaking about the event this week, Jake Paul reminisced about his journey.
“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard. 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," he said.
“Within just two and a half years of founding MVP, we’re about to produce the biggest fight in history, a fight in the biggest NFL stadium in the US, broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world – a testament to all we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time.
"Whether you’re tuning in on Netflix or showing out in person, whether you’re team Paul or team Tyson, or whether you’re a lifelong boxing fan or watching your first fight, you’re not going to want to miss this event."
Who do you think will come out on top? Let us know.
Topics: Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, Boxing
Jack Kenmare