Featured Image Credit: UFC and Getty
Topics: UFC, Boxing, Jake Paul, Mike Tyson
Tom Jenkins
UFC Boss Dana White has had his say on the controversial boxing fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
Paul and Tyson will face each other on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, marking the main event of a card set to air on Netflix, as confirmed by officials to ESPN.
This broadcast will mark the streaming giant's inaugural live combat sports presentation and only its third live sporting event overall.
"Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is a once-in-a-lifetime dream matchup and I anticipate it will be the most-watched boxing event in modern boxing history," co-founder of Paul's promotional company MVP, Nakisa Bidarian, said in a statement.
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Following the announcement, Dana White criticised the bout due to the huge age gap between Paul, 27, and Tyson, 58.
“There will be a 31-year age difference during that fight, you guys know what I think about that stuff," White explained.
However, the UFC Boss was quick to praise the involvement of Netflix, stating this kind of venture is something they should have committed to in the past.
“I think Netflix should have got involved in live sports years ago, they’re late to the game, but they’re a force," White said following UFC 299 on Saturday night.
“As all these massive streaming companies start to get bigger and bigger, they have to be involved in live sports.”
White also gave a damning verdict on Francis Ngannou's devastating knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua in his press conference.
Crossover combat sports are becoming one of the biggest trends of the 2020s, with the former UFC Heavyweight Champion also having faced Tyson Fury recently, which also ended in defeat.
“Going into [that] fight, if Fury trained for the fight and didn’t show up looking like he ate Tyson Fury, it’s probably the way that fight would have ended, too," White explained.
“Listen, you know how I feel about crossovers into boxing. That’s how they end: just like that.”