Jake Paul Returns to DFW For the Fight of a Lifetime Against Mike Tyson

Boxing fans received some knockout news on Thursday with the announcement that YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul would face the iconic Mike Tyson in a match.

This showdown will occur on July 20 at Arlington's AT&T Stadium and will be streamed worldwide on Netflix.

Since leaving his content creator days behind and turning to the ring, Paul, 27, has scored six knockouts while compiling a 9–1 record. In four years, he has become one of boxing’s biggest draws. "The Problem Child" secured a first-round knockout over Ryan Bourland in Puerto Rico on March 2.

Mike Tyson, 57, is arguably one of the greatest boxers of all time. The youngest heavyweight champion, he is known by many monikers such as “Kid Dynamite,” “Iron Mike,” and “The Baddest Man on the Planet.” He ruled the sport in the '80s and '90s as a ferocious fighter who knocked out nearly everyone he faced.

In boxing, styles make fights. Paul and Tyson are orthodox fighters. Paul is equipped with his signature overhand right, and Tyson is known for his swift, close uppercut to the nose. Both fight at approximately 200 pounds, and both athletes are celebrated for their knockout power.

After appearing in a promo video announcing the match on Tuesday, Tyson and Paul released a joint official statement together.
“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 the video. “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.”

Jake also spoke of his respect for Tyson and why beating Mike Tyson is reaching final-boss level.

"My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion ever, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time," Paul said. "This will be the fight of a lifetime.”

Iron Mike said he was excited to return to the sport after watching Paul grow into a star.

“I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” Tyson said. “He’s grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT. It’s a full-circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch as I started him off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”

Paul's upcoming fight in Arlington is expected to draw a sold-out crowd, marking his return to where his superstardom began in North Texas.

“This [Dallas] is where I did my first fan meet-up ever when I was 16 years old,” he said in May 2023. “So it’s awesome to bring it back here and to really put on a show 'cause Texas obviously has crazy fight fans.”

This summer’s fight follows Paul’s rowdy unanimous decision victory against MMA legend Nate Diaz at American Airlines Center in August 2023, when fights erupted everywhere among the crowd. The Paul–Diaz match also attracted top MMA and boxing stars Francis Ngannou, Alycia Baumgardner and Daniel Cormier.

Today's most successful fighters, including Paul, study, emulate and incorporate Tyson’s techniques as a knockout artist into their fighting style. But in the Paul–Tyson fight, Paul is the favorite at –500, and Tyson, who might be regarded as the best fighter ever, is the underdog at +325.

Hall-of-Fame boxer Roy Jones Jr., Tyson’s last opponent, confirmed that Iron Mike still has knockout power at 57.

“First time that dude [Tyson] hit me in the chest, it felt like a horse kicked me in the chest — I was like ‘Gosh,'” Jones told ENews in March 2023. “I couldn’t believe he could still hit so hard. And what was more fascinating, I couldn’t believe that he was still so hard to hit. You can’t overreach with him because if you overreach, he’ll get you. And as I said, he kicks like a horse.”

The undercard and fight stipulations have yet to be announced. Tyson's most recent fight lasted eight rounds of 2 minutes each, while Paul's most recent fight was scheduled for eight rounds. This is the first of a new cross-promotion between Netflix and Jake Paul's promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions.

The Paul–Tyson match prompted a deluge of mixed reactions online and predictions about a fight with an obvious 30-year age gap between the fighters.

But Tyson believes he can beat Paul in a boxing match. At least that's what he told the hosts of the Full Send Podcast in 2021 when they asked him whether he'd win a fight against Paul.

“So fucking easy,” Tyson said.