Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is set to take on YouTube sensation and current professional boxer Jake Paul in a highly anticipated heavyweight fight Friday night at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas. It will mark the first time Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) has entered the ring for a pro bout since retiring from the sport in 2005.
Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) will be fighting for the third time in 2024 in what is easily his highest-profile bout to date. The match-up between the 58-year-old Tyson and 27-year-old Paul was initially scheduled for July 20 but was rescheduled to give Tyson time to recover from medical issues stemming from a stomach ulcer.
Here’s what you need to know about tonight’s big fight, including when and how to watch.
What time is the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight tonight?
The Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul televised fight card began at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on Netflix. There were three professional boxing fights before Tyson and Paul were set to enter the ring. The main event will occur once those bouts have concluded with the exact timing dependent on the length of the preceding fights.
How many rounds will the Tyson vs. Paul fight have?
The Tyson-Paul fight is scheduled for eight, two-minute rounds. That’s slightly shorter than the typical three-minute rounds most professional men’s boxing fights are scheduled for. Both men will also wear heavier boxing gloves than heavyweights often do, sporting 14-ounce gloves versus the traditional 10-ounce versions.
How to watch the Tyson vs. Paul fight
The Tyson vs. Paul fight will be broadcast live on Netflix and will be free for subscribers.
What is Mike Tyson’s boxing background?
Mike Tyson is one of the most famous — and infamous — boxers in sports history. A Hall of Fame inductee, Tyson burst onto the world stage in the 1980s when he became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. Combining speed and power, Tyson possessed an uncanny ability to intimidate opponents before they even entered the ring. He won his first world title in 1986 and became the undisputed champion in the years that followed. He lost his belts to Buster Douglas in 1990 in one of the biggest upsets in sports history and was incarcerated on a rape conviction from 1992 to 1995.
Tyson won the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) titles upon his return to the ring in the mid-1990s but then lost to Evander Holyfield in a major upset in November 1996. A highly-anticipated rematch between the two in June 1997 led to Tyson getting disqualified after he bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear.
His subsequent performances in the ring after that were largely overshadowed by bizarre antics both during the fight and in between matches. He lost his final title fight against then-heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in June 2002 and he retired following consecutive knockout losses to other opponents in 2004 and 2005. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He last fought in an exhibition (non-professional) match against former champion Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020.
What is Jake Paul’s boxing background?
Jake Paul was best known as a popular YouTuber and former Disney star before he decided to become a professional boxer in 2020. He fought his second professional fight on the undercard of Tyson’s fight against Jones but has since promoted himself to main event status. Loquacious and promotable, Paul currently has 27 million followers on Instagram, 18.2 million followers on TikTok and 4.6 million on X.
He’s been able to morph that social media success into the boxing ring, entering tonight’s fight with just a single loss against 10 wins, with seven of those victories via knockout. The lone loss came against undefeated Tommy Fury, the younger brother of former undisputed heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (who, ironically, was named after Paul’s opponent tonight).
Who do experts predict will win the Tyson vs. Paul fight?
Expert predictions for tonight’s match-up vary. Former opponents Lewis and Jones are both predicting a Tyson victory as is his namesake, Tyson Fury. Former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya also likes Tyson but former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua is going with Paul as is Paul’s brother, Logan. Oddsmakers have had Paul as the slight favorite but the betting line has been moving more toward Tyson throughout fight week, according to ESPN.
