The exhibition boxing match you never knew you needed is coming to Netflix on Saturday, July 20th. Brace yourselves because Jake Paul is fighting Mike Tyson.
This was no joke, Netflix officially announced the event by sending out a press release on Thursday morning, and Tyson confirmed on Twitter that he had signed a deal to make the fight a reality.
Despite the fact that Paul (27) is half Tyson’s age, 57, remains the biggest test of his boxing career at this point. In recent years, Tyson has posted regular workout videos, especially showing that he still has unrealistic speed and power for a man his age. And unlike past Jake Paul opponents, Tyson has an ego that won’t allow him to take it easy on the YouTube personality. .
Meanwhile, Paul continues to grow and show legitimate boxing chops. What started out as mostly a sideshow took a step toward legitimacy when Paul won consecutive matches against legitimate boxers in Andre August and Ryan Borland.
YouTube celebrities don’t mince words. As for his battle plan.
“My goal is to become world champion, and now I have the chance to prove myself against the world’s greatest heavyweight champion, the baddest man on the planet, and the most dangerous boxer of all time. It’s time to put Iron Mike to bed.”
This represents another exciting step for Netflix into the live sports realm. The platform is experimenting with adding more sports programming to its slate, including live soccer, tennis and golf coverage, as well as a partnership with WWE announced earlier this year.
All of that pales in comparison to the scale and scope that Paul vs. Tyson represents. Millions of people will watch it, at least out of curiosity.
