On Jan. 17, 1997, Jake Paul was born in Cleveland. Six months later, then-31-year-old Mike Tyson fought Evander Holyfield in Nevada in an event that grossed $100 million.
On July 20, 2024, a 27-year-old Paul will fight a 58-year-old Tyson in a boxing match on Netflix. Anyone with a Netflix account can watch the shocking fight for no additional cost.
Regulated sportsbooks haven’t yet posted odds for the fight, and it’s unclear which ones will. Typically, bets can be offered for official, sanctioned fights—not exhibitions.
Bovada, an offshore, unregulated betting site that is not legal to use in the U.S., listed Paul as a -500 favorite, with +325 for Tyson. However, a day after the fight was announced, Bovada had Paul as a -225 favorite, with Tyson at +170. Apparently the sportsbook saw initial betting interest on Tyson.
If regulated sportsbooks offer bets, their odds will likely be similar to their offshore counterparts.
Even if the bout is sanctioned, some betting states won’t allow sportsbooks to offer bets
Paul versus Tyson will occur at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, which seats over 80,000.
Paul’s second professional fight came in 2020 when he defeated former NBA player Nate Robinson on the undercard for Tyson’s fight with Roy Jones Jr.
“We’re about to produce the biggest fight in history, a fight in the biggest NFL stadium in the U.S., broadcast live on the biggest streaming platform in the world—a testament to all we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time,” Paul said in a statement.
When Tyson was in his prime, he was boxing’s best heavyweight and one of the most feared fighters in the world. However, he hasn’t had a professional fight since 2005 and is about 30 years older than Paul. It’s unclear whether this fight will be a professional contest or an exhibition.
Tyson’s fight against Roy Jones Jr. finished in a split draw, and he hasn’t fought since.
“It’s a full-circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch, as I started (Paul) on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones, and now I plan to finish him,” Tyson said in a statement.
It’s neither fighter’s first time working with Netflix. Paul was the subject of Netflix’s Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child, while Tyson contributed to the company’s Battle of the Baddest, which told the story of Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou’s heavyweight fight in 2023.
Still, this is uncharted territory for both men.
Tyson is one of boxing’s GOATs, but he’s almost 60 and taking a fight at this age is dangerous. There’s no denying that Paul has grown as a fighter, but this could be the highest stakes yet for one of his fights.
A loss to Tyson would severely derail Paul’s momentum.
Yes. While this may seem like a fever dream, it’s reality—at least for now. Fights are sometimes canceled due to injury or illness. At Tyson’s age, an injury is more likely.
The two are scheduled to fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on July 20. This will be Tyson’s first fight since he fought Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020 in an exhibition.
Tyson hasn’t fought in an official fight since he lost to Kevin McBride in 2005. He lost three of his last four fights before retiring.
While sports betting odds aren’t available from licensed sportsbooks, some offshore sportsbooks have posted odds for the fight. Bovada, one such unregulated, offshore sportsbook, has Paul as a -225 favorite, with Tyson a +170 underdog.
In the 24 hours since the odds posted, they’ve shifted in Tyson’s direction, as Paul opened as a -500 favorite.
Paul was a heavy favorite in his last fight against UFC star Nate Diaz, with some sportsbooks listing him at -500 before the contest.
No, sports betting is not legal in Texas, and it’ll be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out ahead of the fight on both a micro and macro level.
On the micro, it’ll be interesting to see how the fight is promoted without that gambling hook. Boxing and sports betting have been intertwined from day one, so it’ll be odd to see the fight promoted without gambling.
That said, Paul co-founded his own sports betting company in Betr, so we’ll likely see some advertising for them.
Mike Tyson’s boxing match against Jake Paul will be available to Netflix subscribers. If you have a Netflix account, you won’t need to worry about paying extra.
Subscriptions are available for as low as $6.99 for anyone interested in signing up.
However, it’s unclear what tier subscription is required to watch the fight.
Unrelated but this is how I imagine the mike Tyson vs jake paul fight would go (little Mac is Mike Tyson and glass Joe is jake paul.)