Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson made official for July 20th

In the current state of boxing anything is possible. Today we were reminded of that fact when Jake Paul and Mike Tyson were announced to fight. The particulars of the fight so far are the match will take place July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in the main event of a card that will air on Netflix. It will be the streaming company's first adventure into combat sports and its third live sporting event overall.

It is unclear what the classifications of this fight will be yet. It will be up to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which sanctions and regulates combat sports in the state. It is yet to be determined whether it will be classified as a pro fight or an exhibition. The first thing that comes to mind is the significant age gap.

Yes Tyson is one of the most feared Heavyweight Champions of all time, but he will be 58 years old when the fight starts and Paul is 27, three decades Tyson’s junior. Tyson’s last fight was a draw in an exhibition boxing match on Nov. 28, 2020. Tyson has not had a pro fight since 2005 and was stopped in two straight before hanging up the gloves. The boxer born in New York City was the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990. 

"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," Nikisha Bidarian MVP Promotions Co-Founder said in a statement.

Paul has made a big name for himself in these boxing spectacle fights  (9-1, 6 KOs). Paul went on to beat former UFC stars such as Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley. The social media star turned fighter from Cleveland has since pivoted to fighting boxers who have more experience than him to gain seasoning with an eye toward one day competing for a world championship. Paul, who turned pro only four years ago, is coming off back-to-back first-round knockouts of journeymen Andre August and Ryan Bourland.

"It's crazy to think that in my second pro fight I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson's undercard," Paul said in a statement. "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. 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."

"Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history," Gabe Spitzer, Netflix vice president for nonfiction sports, said in a statement. "Saturday, July 20 will be pure drama in the ring in Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Most Valuable Promotions for this historic event and we can't wait for these two to face off for fans all across the world on Netflix."