YouTuber Jake Paul and former world champion Mike Tyson have announced a high-profile boxing match on July 20. But how much will they earn from the bout?
Tyson, whose professional career ended in 2005, will turn 58 three weeks before facing 27-year-old Paul.
Paul beat Ryan Bourland in his 10th professional fight last Saturday, and has now set his sights on Tyson, who he has promised to put “to sleep”.
Paul said on X: “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.”
It is unclear if it will be an official fight or an exhibition bout, like Tyson’s 2020 encounter with Roy Jones Jr. However, what is certain is the encounter, which will be staged in Texas and broadcast live on streaming platform Netflix, is set to make both fighters a lot of money.
While the respective purses are yet to be publicly released, Paul has said in the past he believes a fight with Tyson would generate $300million (£234.59million).
“I joke with my friends about it,” Paul said while appearing on The Journey Podcast. “I’m like, ‘I’ll start eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts and move up to heavyweight and take on Mike Tyson.’
“That would actually excite me and that’s a $300m event. So, Mike if you’re watching this let’s have some fun. New school vs old school, I think that’s something the fans would want to see.”
Meanwhile, ‘Iron Mike’ has previously admitted on the Club Random Podcast with Bill Maher that he would only fight if the event broke pay-per-view records.
The former world heavyweight champion further claimed on an episode of his Hotboxin podcast that he’d be willing to face Paul for $1billion.
Tyson’s last professional fight came in 2005 (Getty)
Last year, however, Dazn boxing pundit Akin ‘Ak’ Reyes claimed Tyson would accept a much lower fee for a comeback fight with Paul.
“The reality is, if there’s a real offer on the table, let’s say $50million or maybe close to a hundred, somewhere between $50 and $100million, if that number is really solid, Mike will come back,” Ak said.
“It’s not going to take a billion dollars, it’s a nice way of saying ‘I don’t really want to come back’.
“‘I’m not going to come back for five, $10million dollars, I might not even come back for $20million dollars, you start talking $50million, there’s going to be a different conversation’.
“We love what Mike’s doing, and maybe he doesn’t need to be back in the ring, but like I always say Barak, ‘money talks’, but as of now, no Jake Paul, no Mike Tyson fight.”
There will be no pay-per-view for the fight. Instead it will be available to stream free with a Netflix subscription.
