If you haven’t heard about the big fight going down on Friday night, you must have been living under a rock for the past eight months or so.
Former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson will square off against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in what is being considered as one of the biggest boxing matches in years.
With the amount of star power involved, it’s hard to argue. So here’s everything you need to know about the massive event.
What’s going on?
Tyson and Paul will be fighting in a fully sanctioned, heavyweight professional boxing match at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Tyson, 58, will be returning to the ring for the first time since an exhibition draw against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 and his most recent professional fight was a 2005 loss to Kevin McBride.
Paul, 27, is aiming to improve his record to 11-1 after he scored a TKO victory over Mike Perry in his most recent match.
The 31-year age difference between the fighters is a record for sanctioned matches.
While the event looks like it will fall short of its goal to sell out the 90,000-seat stadium, it reportedly has sold more than 55,000 tickets and already has the highest-grossing gate in Texas combat sports history, surpassing the $9 million US that the fight between Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders raked in for their fight at the same venue in 2021.
“Well, the people speak for themselves. I don’t even have to ask them,” Paul said at Thursday’s press conference. ” (This is the) biggest live gate in U.S. boxing history outside of Las Vegas. Numbers don’t lie. People want to see this and that’s an amazing accomplishment.”
The match originally was scheduled for July 20, but had to be postponed after Tyson had a medical emergency involving an ulcer while on a cross-country flight.
Why is this a big deal?
Tyson arguably is the most famous boxer to ever step between the ropes and Paul is one of the most famous YouTube influencers of all time. When it comes to name recognition for two fighters, it doesn’t get much bigger than this.
Throw in the fact that this is an officially sanctioned pro match, with the results going on each combatant’s record, and there’s actually more at stake for this than if it was an exhibition – which many assumed this match would turn out to be.
During his prime, Tyson was known as the Baddest Man on the Planet – and rightfully so. He was a dominant heavyweight champion during a time when boxing was thriving. His fights were must-see events and he often made quick work of his opponents, scoring several first-round knockouts while winning his first 37 professional matches.
However, Tyson has had his share of controversies. He was convicted of rape in 1992 and sentenced to six years in jail, serving three before being released on parole.
Paul has done his best to silence his many critics since embarking on a boxing career in 2020. He has amassed a record of 10-1, though the quality of some of his opponents is up for debate.
The social-media star has opted for big-name opponents that weren’t exactly known for their skills in the ring. Paul has beaten several former UFC stars – but fighters like Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva that were better known for their wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Both fighters have posted several training clips over the summer and appear to be in incredible shape, which only adds to the anticipation.
What else is on the card?
While some may scoff at the Tyson-Paul fight simply being just for spectacle, fans are in for a true treat with the co-main event: The hotly anticipated rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda ‘The Real Deal’ Serrano.
Taylor, the undisputed super lightweight champion with record of 23-1, will be putting up all four of her super lightweight belts against unified featherweight champion Serrano.
The two faced off in 2022 at Madison Square Garden — the first time in the arena’s history that two female fighters main evented a boxing — and slugged it out for an incredible ten rounds, with Taylor winning by split decision.
Also on the main card, Mario Barrios will defend his WBC welterweight title against Abel Ramos and Neeraj Goyat will take on Whindersson Nunes in a super-middleweight bout.
What are the betting odds?
Paul is the big favourite to beat Tyson -205 on FanDuel with the over/under for rounds set at six and a half. The bets have been pouring in on Tyson, though, with Paul’s odds having fallen from -345 to its current line.
If you think that Paul will knock out the former champ, you can bet that +150 odds while Paul by decision is +270.
As the big underdog, you can bet Tyson to win by KO at +230 and to win by decision at a lofty +1300.
In the co-main, Taylor and Serrano are dead even with moneyline odds of -110 each.
Is there any Canadian content?
Two Canadian fighters have bouts on the undercard for the show.
Pefferlaw, Ont.’s Melinda ‘The Whip’ Watpool will face Shadasia Green for the vacant WBO super middleweight title whil Niagara Falls’ Lucas ‘Prince’ Bahdi will be taking on Italian champ Armando Casamonica.
Watpool, who has a 7-0 record with two KOs, is ranked as the WBO’s No. 2 super middleweight contender and WBA’s top middleweight contender while Green is 14-1 and coming off a win over Natasha Spence in July.
Bahdi, a top-ranked IBF and WBA lightweight contender with a record of 17-0 with 15 KOs, will be taking on a fellow undefeated fighter in the Italian, who sports a record of 14-0 with three KOs.
Bahdi originally had been scheduled to face Corey Marksman, who had to bow out due to injury.
Who’s throwing this party?
Most Valuable Promotions, which was co-founded by Paul, teamed up with CELSIUS Energy Drinks and Netflix to put on this massive event.
CELSIUS has made big moves in the sporting world, not only having signed Paul to a sponsorship deal, but also partnering with Scuderia Ferrari and Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc.
Considering Paul’s own brother, Logan, has his own energy drink, that’s saying something about CELSIUS.
Netlfix also has been moving into the business of live sporting events, having secured a deal the NFL for Christmas Day games while also airing events like the Tyson-Paul fight and the Joey Chestnut-Takeru Kobayashi hot-dog eating showdown.
How do I watch?
The event is airing live on Netflix for all subscribers on Friday with the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET. The main event is expected to begin around 11 p.m. ET.
So, who’s going to win?
They say in boxing that your power is the last thing to go and Tyson always had that in spades.
But, at his age and with his time away from the ring, stamina will be an issue – especially if he has to chase the young Paul around the ring.If El Gallo can use his youth, speed and athleticism to his benefit, he should be able to avoid taking big damage from Tyson and score the victory.
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