Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight 'upgraded' as former opponent reveals details of what he's heard

Mike Tyson’s past opponent Roy Jones Jr revealed what he had heard about the heavyweight’s bout with Jake Paul.

Last month, YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul announced that he was set to take on former unified heavyweight champion Tyson in a boxing match at the AT&T Arena in Texas on July 20.

The fight has been the cause of much controversy with Paul, 27, 30 years younger than his counterpart and Tyson having not competed in a professional fight since 2005.

On Saturday reports emerged suggesting that the showdown between the pair would be an exhibition rather than a professional fight, with a list of rules in place.

However, Paul's manager has since shut down those reports, while Tyson’s former opponent, Jones Jr, has claimed the fight has been “upgraded” to professional status.

“The Jake Paul Mike Tyson fight is not an exhibition, I’ve heard it’s been upgraded to a fight," Jones Jr, who fought Tyson in an exhibition fight in 2020, said on the Lunch Club.

"If it’s a fight, it’s very intriguing how it may turn out because Jake Paul has gotten a lot better as a boxer over the days but Mike Tyson even at 58 or however old he is, is still Mike Tyson.

Tyson and Jones Jr fought in an exhibition bout in 2020 (Getty)

"When I boxed him, he still punched like Mike Tyson.

"If he hits anybody square on the chin it’s going to be problematic, I don’t care who it is.

"I like Jake Paul, he’s a good guy and he’s doing good with his boxing stuff.

"I think it’s a good promotional situation for him and Mike, they should go really good numbers, especially having upgraded to a real fight.

"If Mike comes out and does what Mike normally does, then it’s going to be a tough situation for Jake.

"If Jake can stay away from him for four or five rounds, then Jake has a chance but he’s going to have to do a lot of manoeuvring to stay away from him."