Mike Tyson (left) takes on Jake Paul (right). — © Netflix
Mike Tyson returns to the ring this summer. The former world heavyweight champion will be 58 years old when he takes on his compatriot Jake Paul, who is thirty years his junior, on Saturday, July 20, in the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, the stadium of the NFL team Dallas Cowboys, which can accommodate 80,000 spectators.
Tyson was world champion of all major boxing associations from 1987 to 1990 and is already considered one of the best heavyweights of all time. In 2005, he ended a professional career in which he knocked out 44 opponents (50 wins, 6 defeats). In 2020 he also returned for an exhibition match against Ray Jones Jr.
Paul, in a relationship with Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam, set up a successful YouTube channel, was an actor and singer for a while, and in 2020 opted for a career as a professional boxer. He has now won nine of ten professional bouts, six of which were by KO. He suffered his only defeat early last year on points against Tommy Fury, the younger brother of Tyson Fury.
The camp, of which it is still unclear whether it will be a professional camp or an exhibition, was announced with many bells and whistles by Netflix, which will stream the camp live. In a Netflix video, Paul arrives at Tyson’s by helicopter, after which the two stand nose to nose for the first time.
Both gentlemen are confident in the positive outcome. “I’m looking forward to getting in the ring with him,” Tyson said. “He has made a lot of progress and it will be fun to see what the ambition of such a child can do against the experience of the greatest of all time.” “I want to become world champion and I can prove myself now,” said Paul. “He’s the baddest man on earth, the most dangerous boxer ever, but it’s time to put ‘Iron Mike’ to sleep.”
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Jake Paul. — © Getty Images