Less than a month after his previous boxing match, notorious YouTuber Jake Paul has already challenged his next opponent—Mike Tyson, a former champion heavyweight boxer once known as the “The Baddest Man on the Planet.” With a date set for July 20, 2024, fans across the world are already anticipating the return of one of boxing’s biggest names. But, there are some especially unique circumstances for this match.
To begin with, there is a massive disparity between the contenders across their respective records and more importantly, ages. In terms of experience, Tyson undoubtedly has Jake stomped with a career record of 56-6 (44 KOs), compared to Jake’s 9-1 record (6 KOs). For context for how impressive Mike’s career was as a boxer, he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history and the first heavyweight to ever hold the three major boxing organization belts (WBA, WBC, and IB) at once. Jake, on the other hand, has had a relatively tamer boxing career, with his first professional bout being in 2020. Having only fought a few professional matches, most of Paul’s bouts have been against fellow YouTubers or various other influencers. However, he has beaten some notable contenders, including former pro MMA fighters like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodly.
Beyond that though, the biggest difference between the two boxers are their ages. In 1997, when Jake was born, a then-31-year-old Mike Tyson was fighting Evander Holyfield in an event that grossed $100 million. Now, Tyson is already 57, while Jake is only 27 years old, which leaves an age gap that is longer than the amount of time that Jake has been alive. With this age, Tyson has already suffered several health issues, including sciatica, which has left him disabled and relying on walking aids like canes at times.
Despite this, Mike Tyson is still the heavy favorite between the two boxers. Under nearly any video about their match, comments such as “Mike’s gonna teach him an old school lesson” or “Mike is 57 and still hits like a freight train” are there. Even at Casa, many students think that Tyson is going to dominate the bout.
However, many people have also wondered if the match is just a way for both the boxers to get a big payday, especially given the notoriety of both Paul and Tyson. One student, Philip Liu, said, “It’s a win-win situation for both of them since they’re both gonna make that bag off of all the advertisements.
The rules of this match are also going to be slightly different than that of ordinary bouts. Similar to most exhibitions, each round in the match will only be two minutes, as opposed to the traditional three-minute rounds. The boxers will also be using 16-ounce gloves rather than 10-ounce gloves, which will give punches more padding than normal.
Even with these changed rules though, fans are still clamoring to watch the match. As it’s going to be both broadcast on Netflix and held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, viewers will have both physical and virtual options to choose from. Overall, boxing fans around the world are craving to see this match, which will likely be the one of the highlight matches of the year.
