Jake Paul goes up against Mike Tyson on Saturday, July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The YouTuber turned pro boxer takes on “the Baddest man on the Planet” in the heavyweight clash live on Netflix. At the kickoff press conference at Apollo Theater in New York, the fighters previewed their bout and came face to face for the first time.
Jake Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) is back in the ring for the second time this year. In his previous outing in San Juan, Puerto Rico in March, Cleveland’s 27-year-old stopped Ryan Bourland in the first round.
“He was game,” Jake Paul said when asked about how his next fight against Mike Tyson came together. “I think he’s always wanted to do this. This has been a long time coming. We’ve been calling each other out for years and we finally got to make it happen on Netflix, the biggest platform in the world, and things just keep on getting bigger and better.”
“The co-main event [Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano]… I mean this is quite literally history that we’re looking at right here. Mike wanted this. Mike wanted it to be a pro fight. He wants the war, and so I respect that. I respect him for taking this fight, for stepping up to try to put an end to me, because that’s what all these fighters have been trying to do – is end the YouTuber and if Mike can do that, then he’s a hero.”
“I’m going to show the world that I can outbox Mike Tyson, prove everyone wrong, and show that I will be the one doing the killing.”
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson go head to head in the first boxing match live on Netflix.
“It is Most Valuable Promotions that have been changing the game since we came into the promotional business and we just continue to level up and do things differently and see gaps in the market that no one else has identified,” Paul said. “We wanted to work with Netflix, they liked the idea and see the vision in what we’re building, what type of events we can put on. This is quite literally the biggest fight of the 21st century because of the fact that it’s Mike Tyson versus me, but also the fact that it’s in 700 million households on Netflix for free, for everyone who’s a subscriber to watch.”
Jake Paul: I know I might even go to the canvas
Riding a three-fight winning streak, Jake Paul faces Mike Tyson in a pro boxing fight. The latter steps inside the ring as a pro for the first time in 19 years.
“After the contract was signed, we got a call from Mike’s team and they were like, ‘Hey, he wants it to be a pro fight for sure. He wants that. He wants to put it all on the line’,” Paul said. “I respect Mike for that and if he wanted it to be that, then let’s run it.”
“I’m a natural born heavyweight. This is what I was born to do, to move up into this weight class. I’m going to show Mike who has more power because he’s underestimating me. I think everyone else is underestimating me and I believe that I hit harder. I know it’s going to be tough. I know I’m going to have to fight through adversity. I know I might even go to the canvas. I’m scared, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not about the fear stopping me. It’s about going into it, even though I am scared. That’s what true bravery is.”
“They call him Iron Mike Tyson, but I’m titanium Jake Paul.”
Mike Tyson: He has to fight like his life depends on it
57-year-old “Iron” Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) hasn’t fought as a pro since June 2005, when he faced Kevin McBrid in Washington, D.C. and suffered a defeat via sixth-round RTD. In his previous ring appearance in November 2020 in Los Angeles, the former undisputed heavyweight champion of Brooklyn faced fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr in an eight-round exhibition match that ended in a split draw.
“It was a no-brainer [to agree to the fight with Jake Paul],” Mike Tyson said. “He was a new up and coming guy on the scene. I like shaking the sports world to its core. I’m doing it now. It’s just something I want to do.”
“Once he’s in that ring, he has to fight like his life depends on it, because it will be.”
When asked about their 30-year age difference, Tyson said: “I’m beautiful. “That’s all I can say.”
The Paul vs Tyson bout is scheduled for eight by two-minute rounds at heavyweight. Generally, the rounds in men’s professional bouts last 3 minutes.
“I wanted the shorter rounds because I wanted more action,” Tyson said. “If we only have two minutes, we’ll fight more.”
In the co-feature to Paul vs Tyson, Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) of Ireland and Amanda Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) of Puerto Rico square off in a rematch. Taylor won their first fight in April 2022 by split decision and retained her undisputed lightweight title. The rematch is scheduled for 10 rounds with the latter undisputed super lightweight crown on the line.