Featured Image Credit: Getty & MVP
Topics: Boxing, Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, Heavyweight Boxing
Rory O'Callaghan
Topics: Boxing, Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, Heavyweight Boxing
A major change could be made to Mike Tyson's upcoming fight with Jake Paul that would dramatically alter it in the former heavyweight champion's favour.
Tyson, 57, will return to the ring to face Paul, 27, on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in what will be the main event of a card that will air on Netflix.
It will also feature an undisputed super lightweight championship title fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano – a rematch of their 2022 contest, which ended in a split decision win for the Irish fighter.
It is yet to be fully confirmed if Tyson's fight with Paul will be an exhibition or a professional bout.
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While Tyson has claimed it will be a "real fight" under exhibition rules, Paul later stated that he hoped to get it fully licensed as professional.
Paul and Tyson have now been given fresh hope that the fight could be granted a professional licence by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
A representative of the organisation, Tela Mange, told World Boxing News that a decision is yet to be made over whether the fight will be professional or not.
"We still have not received a card from the promoter for that particular fight, so no decisions have been made yet about whether the Tyson vs Paul event will be an exhibition or professional contest," she said.
World Boxing News also highlighted that another fighter, Scot England, was given a professional licence in Texas last year at the age of 58 – the same age that Tyson will be when he faces Paul.
Speaking earlier this month, Tyson said he was treating his fight with Paul as professional, even if it wouldn't be classed as such on official records.
"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."