Mike Tyson’s July boxing match with Jake Paul will be the first bout to count towards his professional record in almost 20 years, it has been confirmed.
The fight, which is due to take place in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20, has been formally sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, according to an initial report by ESPN. Effectively, this means that Tyson will be competing in his 59th professional fight at the age of 58.
Paul, 27, has compiled a 9-1 professional record and comes into the fight on the back of two first-round finishes of boxing journeyman in his last two outings.
“I wasn’t joking when I said this would be a real fight,” Paul noted on social media. “See you in July.”
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It was also reported that the fight will take place over eight two-minute rounds, with Tyson and Paul to be wearing 14oz gloves for the bout, which will be streamed live on the Netflix platform.
Tyson last fought professionally in June of 2005 where he retired on the stool following the sixth round of a fight with Irish heavyweight Kevin McBride. He returned to the ring in late 2020 for an exhibition match with fellow icon Roy Jones Jr., which was scored as a draw.
In the co-main event of the July 20 event, Katie Taylor will defend her undisputed super lightweight title in a rematch of her split decision win over Amanda Serrano in what was hailed as the ‘biggest’ women’s boxing match of all time in April 2022.
