Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul has the spotlight of the sports world. The legendary boxer, considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, will face YouTuber Jake Paul. During their final face-off ahead of the bout, Mike Tyson slapped Jake Paul, and the people around them separated them, making them both contestants. 

Mike Tyson concedes the role of villain to young foe in 58-year-old’s fight with Jake Paul

Friendship is at the heart of how a fight came together between 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and much younger YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

Friction helped build the hype for a bout that is testing the formula for how boxing is delivered to the masses, a first-ever combat sports offering from the streaming platform Netflix rather than pay-per-view or traditional cable.

Tyson’s first sanctioned professional fight in almost 20 years is set for Friday night at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. A crowd of at least 60,000 is expected while Netflix offers the bout at no additional cost to more than 280 million subscribers globally.

The 27-year-old Paul is relatively new to the sport, the one-time social media influencer bringing a 10-1 record with seven knockouts mostly against mixed martial artists and journeymen boxers.

Asked about the friendship earlier in the week, Tyson said, “There’s no feeling attached.” He proved it by slapping Paul as they faced off following the weigh-in Thursday night.

Tyson appeared to take offense to the way Paul approached him for the faceoff, but didn’t bother explaining. “The talk is over,” Tyson, who checked in at 228 pounds, said when one of the hosts tried to ask a question.

Paul screamed into a microphone before storming off the stage. Paul weighed 227 pounds.

Tyson was 50-6 with 44 knockouts when he retired after losing to Kevin McBride in 2005, saying he didn’t have anything left to give the sport. He last fought in an exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. with no fans during the pandemic in 2020.

A fight originally scheduled for July 20 was postponed when Tyson had to be treated for a stomach ulcer after falling ill on a flight.

 

Tyson said in a documentary chronicling the preparations for the fight that he lost 26 pounds in the process of recovering.

Promoter Nakisa Bidarian, who co-founded Most Valuable Promotions with Paul, said Tyson was cleared medically weeks ago. Bidarian sidestepped a question of how concerned he was for Tyson’s health once he steps in the ring.

Paul said he had a vision for the fight about two years ago and shared it with Tyson because he thought the Hall of Famer would understand — and be interested. It took about that long for the bout to come together.

Tyson appeared agitated at both hype events with fans in the Dallas area, first in the weeks before the originally scheduled fight and again at a news conference two nights before the bout.

He was more reflective in a smaller setting with reporters, suggesting he wasn’t the same foul-mouthed, scowling fighter from his prime.

According to reports, Paul will get $40 million for the fight, a number he mentioned at another news conference in New York in August.

Tyson, who had two stints in prison over convictions in the 1990s for rape and assault and declared bankruptcy 21 years ago, will get $20 million. Tyson has said he isn’t doing the fight for money.

Several states wouldn’t sanction the bout. Texas agreed to a fight that was eight rounds instead of 10 or 12, with two-minute rounds instead of three, and heavier gloves designed to lessen the power of punches.

Paul has faced persistent questions about why he would fight someone so much older, regardless of Tyson’s pedigree. His answers have been consistent.

There is a high-profile championship fight on the card — the co-main event of Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano.

Paul said he wanted to give the women a spotlight after their slugfest at sold-out Madison Square Garden in 2022. It was the first time women headlined a boxing event at the famous venue.

Taylor won a split decision that many questioned. Bidarian and Paul say the rematch for the undisputed super lightweight title will be the most lucrative women’s sporting event in history.

(AP)