Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul is an event that no one saw coming, but is also shaping up to be a spectacle that no one can miss. Tyson, who remains the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history, and is a two-time champion overall, will step back into the ring on Friday against Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer who made his pro debut just four years ago.
Even though Tyson versus Paul features a 58-year-old Hall of Fame boxer versus a social media celebrity, it is a legitimate boxing match. It is sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, will be contested at heavyweight, and as a professional fight, it will go on both boxers’ records. There will be no headgear, and there will be three ringside judges, however, there will also be rules modifications in place.
The most noticeable to the casual boxing fan will be that, instead of the 12 three-minute rounds that you see in most big fights, Paul versus Tyson will be contested over eight, two-minute rounds. A more subtle change, but one that could have an even bigger impact than the rounds change, is that the fighters will don 14-ounce gloves. Heavyweights typically wear 10-ounce gloves, and this change is very meaningful, as the heavier 14-ounce gloves slow down the punches.
On one hand, you could say that the bigger gloves will rob Tyson of what he built his career off as one of the most feared power punchers and knockout artists of all-time. Larger gloves will make it harder for him to knock out Paul, who has so far never been knocked down in his 11-fight career.
On the other hand, this glove size change could also benefit the boxing legend and prevent more damage from being inflicted upon him. Yes, he is the far more experienced boxer—with 47 more pro fights under his belt—but he’s also 31 years older than Paul, and no one at 58 years old has the same reflexes and reaction time as he did at the age of 27.
Tyson will enter Friday’s event with a 50–6 record (44 KOs) and two no-contests. He’s fought 215 rounds in his professional career, while Paul will enter in with just 52 rounds on his boxing resume, as well as a record of 10–1 (7 KOs). While Tyson dominates the experience factor, Paul, who was born five months before Tyson infamously bit Evander Holyfield’s ear in 1997, has youth on his side.
The 31-year gap between the fighters will set a new boxing record, eclipsing the 24-year difference between Archie Moore (49) and Mike DiBiase (25) in their 1963 bout. For what it’s worth, Moore, who was the longest-reigning light heavyweight champion of all-time, knocked out DiBiase in the third round. It was DiBiase’s only boxing match of his career, as he was a full-time professional wrestler as his day job.
The tale of the tape has measurables that are both pros and cons for Tyson. Paul is three inches taller and has a five-inch reach advantage, which will help the YouTuber maintain a comfortable distance between the two. However, this will also be Paul’s first heavyweight fight, as he’s never weighed in at more than 200 lbs for a bout, nor has he ever faced someone that weighs more than 198 lbs. Tyson clocked in at 218 lbs at his peak and was at 233 lbs in that last pro fight to McBride. So, with the larger gloves, one has to wonder how much damage Paul can actually inflict on the much bigger Tyson.
To date, Paul’s competition has included fellow YouTubers, crossover MMA fighters, former basketball players, and extremely limited pro boxers. Of his 11 fights, only one has been against someone of a similar age and level of experience, and that was Tommy Fury—brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. That bout took place in 2023, and it happens to be the only loss on Paul’s resume. Fury, who just had eight fights under his belt upon that meeting, won by split decision. He landed 88 punches—nearly double the 49 that Paul landed.
While Paul may be seen by many as just a celebrity fighter, many boxing analysts describe him as limited but legitimate. Among the 1,388 ranked cruiserweights—which is the class Paul competed at before this bout—he is ranked No. 93, so Friday’s event likely won’t resemble many of Tyson’s early fights, where his intimidation factor and one-punch KO ability ended many of his bouts in the first round.
A first-round knockout is something that Tyson would prefer, as stamina isn’t the strength of a man four years away from collecting Social Security benefits. However, the experts don’t expect that to happen as the fight’s over/under for total rounds is 5.5. Even more intriguing is that it’s Paul who is considered the favorite and has generated more betting interest to prevail.
We’ll see if his skills are still there on Friday night. Tyson versus Paul will take place at AT&T Stadium—home of the Dallas Cowboys—in Arlington, Texas. The main card begins at 8 p.m. ET, with the main event of Tyson vs. Paul starting at approximately 10 p.m. ET.
