Mike Tyson will take on Jake Paul later this year in the ring – but the former undisputed heavyweight world champion did not seem overly gripped by the YouTuber when once seeing him spar.
Paul will face Tyson, who is 30 years older than him, in July at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in what may be Iron Mike’s first professional fight since 2005.
Tyson is a legendary figure in the sport, having 50 wins from 58 fights under his belt, two no contests and only six losses in a career which spanned two decades.
Paul meanwhile is in the infancy of his professional boxing career, with nine wins in 10 fights so far and only one defeat, which came at the hands of Tommy Fury last year.
The fight will be streamed exclusively on Netflix and is a surprise encounter, that may see Tyson’s involved in a first professional bout in almost 20 years. He previously fought Kevin McBridge in 2005, but was stopped in two rounds before hanging up the gloves.
Paul said: “Whether you’re tuning in on Netflix or showing out in person, whether you’re team Paul or team Tyson, or whether you’re a lifelong boxing fan or watching your first fight, you’re not going to want to miss this event.
“I could not be more excited to make this amazing fight available to all Netflix subscribers alongside the hardest hitter of all time, Mike Tyson, on Saturday, July 20th.
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“My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of the world, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. Time to put Iron Mike to sleep.”
Tyson meanwhile has kept his reaction short and sweet by comparison, simply saying “we signed the contract”.
Iron Mike has previously watched Paul sparring in the gym – but did not seem overly impressed. He is said to have watched for 30 seconds before leaving.
Tyson saw Paul train at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles, which is owned by famous trainer Freddie Roach, who explained the former undisputed heavyweight world champion displayed a lack of interest in the YouTuber.
Speaking to FightHype in 2022, Roach said: “Tyson looked at him and left.
“He saw 30 seconds of him sparring and said, ‘Freddie, can we go down and see the pictures?’. He knows that’s where the good pictures are. He wasn’t as interested as I was.”
