Boxing's popularity has risen in recent years, thanks partly to promotional concepts like putting well-known people from various backgrounds into a ring and betting on the result. While the purist segment of the sport's fan base has, at best, mixed feelings about this transition, it's accomplishing what the sport struggled to do for decades with a few exceptions: sell fights and bring in non-traditional fans.
The latest edition of this neo-professional fight game welcomes back one of its legends and offers a young outsider the chance to share the ring with greatness. "Iron" Mike Tyson will re-enter the ring this week against YouTuber turned professional boxer Jake Paul.
When and Where to Watch Tyson vs. Paul
The fight will occur Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Most of those watching the bout will log into their Netflix accounts and tune in live as part of an evolution of the pay-per-view concept that rewards subscribers of America's most popular streaming giant.
Netflix has previously broadcast live exhibition golf and tennis events, and while this match has the same feel, it is sanctioned in Texas and will count toward each fighter's professional record.
Mike Tyson, the former world heavyweight champion nicknamed "The Baddest Man on the Planet," is stepping into the ring for the first time since an exhibition tilt against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020. In a decorated career between the ropes, Tyson amassed 50 professional victories and won or retained international heavyweight titles a dozen times.
Jake Paul, 27, has 11 professional fights to his name, with victories over former basketball players, MMA fighters, and boxers. He will move up a division and fight as a heavyweight against the 58-year-old former world champ.
Both fighters are known for their punching power and affinity for instilling fear in opponents while raining down blows. Tyson's catalog of knockouts is well-documented, and Paul has his highlight reel of sudden fight stoppages.
Where to Find Best Price on Each Fighter
The level of competition that Paul has faced to date is the reason for most of the skepticism around his chances in the ring, but his youth and physical shape still make him a favorite at the betting window. DraftKings lists Paul at -200, the shortest odds among major online outlets, including FanDuel (-205), Caesars (-220), and BetMGM (-250). Tyson's backers can find his best price at BetMGM (+190).
Bettors can also wager on the method that the fight will end, either by decision, knockout/TKO, or draw, and the number of rounds it will last. The current rounds total is 6.5 on Caesars. Other props include the number of knockdowns each fighter will score, whether one or both fighters will get knocked down (Tyson is -125 to be knocked down on DraftKings) and even a longshot of whether the bout will end within the first minute of Round 1 (+2000 on DraftKings). Our best bet among all the offerings is outlined next.
Best Bet: Jake Paul by Decision or Tech. Decision: +300 (DraftKings)
Too much of the market seems to be in the camp of either Tyson not being fit enough to last eight rounds, which results in a Paul victory before the final bell, or that Iron Mike has one more punch in him that stuns Paul and lands Tyson an upset win in sudden fashion.
The world champ has had extra preparation time following a medical issue that postponed the original fight date and is looking as fit as someone his age can in training videos.
Thanks to the short, two-minute rounds and heavily padded gloves (14 oz. instead of the standard ten), we like Tyson to go the distance but lose a decision to Paul.
