At 58 years old, Mike Tyson is set to return to the boxing ring. The former world heavyweight champion, known for his turbulent career both inside and outside the ring, will face off against social media influencer turned boxer Jake Paul on July 20.
The match will be streamed live on Netflix, as announced by the company on Thursday.
The bout, set to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, marks Mike Tyson’s first fight since 2020, when he and Roy Jones Jr., another former world boxing champion, fought to a draw in an exhibition match.
This event is part of Netflix’s aggressive expansion into live “sports-adjacent programming,” aiming to attract significant audiences without the substantial investment required by streaming professional sports leagues.
Netflix recently secured a multibillion-dollar, 10-year deal for exclusive rights to stream World Wrestling Entertainment’s flagship weekly wrestling show, “Raw.”
The streaming boxing spectacle is a result of a collaboration between Netflix and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, a company he co-founded in 2021 with Nakisa Bidarian to disrupt combat sports.
While the exact payment for the fight remains undisclosed, both Paul and Tyson are expected to receive comparable compensation.
Mr. Paul, aged 27, ventured into boxing in 2018 and has experienced a meteoric rise, boasting a record of 9 wins and 1 loss. His most recent bout took place on Saturday night, where he defeated Ryan Bourland in the first round.
“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard,” Mr. 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.”
Mike Tyson, who will turn 58 in June, emerged as a phenomenon from the beginning of his professional career in 1985. He achieved champion status by the age of 20 and secured victory in his first 37 professional matches, with almost all ending in knockouts.
His initial professional defeat, against James (Buster) Douglas, continues to stand as one of the most stunning upsets in sports history.
Following his boxing career, Mike Tyson faced legal troubles, serving a three-year prison sentence for rape. Inside the ring, his reputation was marred by erratic behavior, such as biting Evander Holyfield’s ear during a 1997 bout.
In recent years, Tyson, who has openly discussed his past struggles with cocaine addiction, has shifted focus to his marijuana business. He sells various products, including gummies shaped like Holyfield’s ear.
Netflix ventured into live sports-related events with an exhibition golf match involving athletes from its “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” series and golfers featured on “Full Swing.” It also streamed an exhibition tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
The company previously featured Jake Paul in an episode of its “Untold” documentary series, highlighting his transition from YouTube celebrity to professional boxer.
Titled “Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child,” the episode spent a week in Netflix’s top 10 in 20 countries.
In 2021, Jake’s older brother, Logan Paul, faced former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a pay-per-view bout sold by Showtime for $49.99. The match lasted eight rounds, with no declared winner.
