A soon-to-be 58-year-old Mike Tyson is returning to the ring to fight none other than loudmouth influencer turned boxer Jake Paul. In the endless, fruitless pursuit of content, the two will square off in an exhibition match on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas — home of the Dallas Cowboys — live on Netflix. The streaming platform announced the exhibition Thursday morning with a promotional teaser and poster.
“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard,” Paul said on Thursday, per TMZ. “Now, less than four years later, I’m stepping up to face Tyson myself to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing’s most notorious fighters and biggest icons.”
In his professional career, Tyson won 50 of his 58 fights, 44 of them ending in knockout. The once-undisputed heavyweight champion has made exhibition appearances since his retirement in 2005. He most recently fought four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. during an eight-round fight in 2020. The fight ended in a draw after going the distance.
Paul’s boxing career began on celebrity circuits, with notable matchups against YouTuber KSI, former UFC champion Anderson Silva, and former basketball player Nate Robinson. The Paul-Robinson fight served as the co-feature to Tyson’s exhibition fight against Jones Jr. In total, Paul has amassed a 9-1 career record in the ring, winning his last two fights by knockout.
“He’s grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT,” Tyson said of Paul in a statement. “It’s a full-circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch, as I started him on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones, and now I plan to finish him.”
The move also signals Netflix’s continued flirtation with live sports programming. The streaming service has created a strong foothold in the sports industry through its string of docuseries like Drive to Survive, Full Swing, and Last Chance U, but it has yet to make a serious dent in live sports content.
Netflix reportedly tried (and failed) to invest in the World Surfing League in 2022. A recent deal with the WWE will put Monday Night Raw live on the platform in 2025. The group also ran the NFL recap show “Inside the NFL” in the weeks leading up to Super Bowl LVIII during the NFL playoffs.
