the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will be considered professional

The fight, which will pit former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against YouTube star Jake Paul on July 20, will be billed as a professional fight.

It’s a duel that seems like a masquerade to many, and yet the result will appear on Iron Mike’s official record. The boxing match that will pit former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against YouTube star Jake Paul on July 20 will be considered a professional bout, the two boxers and promoters announced Monday. The fight, in eight two-minute rounds, will take place in Dallas (Texas).

Tyson’s last professional fight was in 2005; his last win in 2003 against Clifford Etienne. The officialization of this fight, which will be broadcast on Netflix, was uncertain, especially because of the age difference between Tyson, who will be 58 years old on June 30, and Paul, 27 years old.

A 51st win or a 7th defeat for Tyson?

“Mike Tyson wanted it to be a pro fight Netflix wanted it to be a pro fight so I agreed to make it a pro fight,” the YouTuber said on his X account.

The co-founder of the company Most Valuable Promotions, which organizes this fight, Nakisa Bidarian, confirmed, explaining that everything had been done to meet the requirements of the Texas commission responsible for granting licenses for boxing matches.

During his tumultuous career, Tyson won 50 victories, including 44 by knockout, but also suffered six defeats, sometimes completely unexpectedly as in 1990 when he was dethroned by James “Buster” Douglas in Tokyo. His last world championship dates back to 2002, in Memphis, where Britain’s Lennox Lewis sent him to the mat in the eighth round. Tyson beat Clifford Etienne the following year, but then suffered two defeats to Danny Williams in 2004 and then Kevin McBride in 2005, and announced his retirement from the sport. Jake Paul has 9 wins including six before the limit of a defeat.