Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul: Former world champion says boxing match will be an exhibition match

Former world champion Mike Tyson says his boxing match against YouTuber Jake Paul on July 20 will be an exhibition match and not an official fight.

Tyson, who finished his professional career in 2005, will turn 58 three weeks before facing Paul in Texas.

Paul, 27, defeated Ryan Borland in his 10th professional fight last month.

“This is called an exhibition, but when you search for ‘exhibition,’ you don’t know under what rules you’re going to fight. This is a fight,” Tyson said.

The competition will not count towards your professional record if it is an exhibition, but will be broadcast live on the streaming platform Netflix.

The game will be held at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, which has a capacity of 80,000 and is the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the body that approves boxing events in Texas, told BBC Sports that it had received requests from promoters to hold events on the day, but had canceled them. No proposed fight or details were disclosed. “Under TDLR rules, in exhibition fights combatants wear larger gloves (16 ounces), rounds last two minutes, and fight for fewer rounds than in sanctioned professional bouts,” TDLR said.

“There are referees in exhibitions, but there are no judges and no winners are declared.”

Tyson’s most recent exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. in April 2020 ended in a draw.

Paul has won nine of his 10 boxing bouts, most of them against former UFC fighters, with his only loss coming to Englishman Tommy Fury in February 2023.

Tyson said in an interview with Fox Sports that Paul, who rose to fame by posting videos online, has come “a long way from YouTube.”

“When I was 16, I saw him doing some weird dance moves on YouTube. That’s not the guy I’m going to fight,” Tyson said.

“This guy is going to come and try to hurt me, I’m used to it, and he’s going to make a big mistake.”

Tyson defeated Trevor Berbick in his first title fight in November 1986, becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history at the age of 20.

The American finished his career with 50 wins and six losses.

Outside of boxing, he was convicted of rape in 1992 and served three years of a six-year sentence, and in 1999 he served one-third of a 12-month sentence for street assault.