Press for Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson. (Photos Courtesy of Netflix)
By Max Ferguson, Staff Writer
In July, up-and-coming influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul will take on one of the greatest to ever box, Mike Tyson. Paul seeks to make a name for himself in the sport by challenging the legendary Tyson, who recorded 50 wins throughout his career, was the youngest boxer to claim a heavyweight title at age 20 and dominated the late 80s and 90s.
Tyson’s challenger currently has a 9-1 professional record. Jake Paul was originally a Disney Channel child actor. After leaving Disney, he began vlogging on his personal channel. Paul used his internet fame to compete in numerous boxing promotions against other Youtubers. In 2018, Jake Paul fought famous YouTuber Deji (formerly known as ComedyShortsGamer and younger brother of KSI) and won. He then pivoted into professional fights. Before boxing, Jake Paul competed as a high schooler in Ohio at the Division 1 level of OHSAA wrestling. Paul’s highest achievement as a wrestler was making it to the Ohio Northeast regional final where he fell to future Cornell All-American Ben Darmstadt. Some of his notable opponents include UFC fighter Nate Diaz, Tommy Fury and Anderson Silva.
The factors leading to this fight truly make it anyone’s match. On one hand, all of Jake Paul’s wins have come from combat athletes who are not boxers by training. Jake Paul’s lone loss came from Tommy Fury, who is a boxer by training. However, this doesn’t mean a victory for Mike Tyson is guaranteed. Tyson is 57 years old and has not fought in a non-exhibition professional fight in over 10 years. Unless Tyson has been training to maintain his prime athleticism, he has a lot of catching up to do if he wants to keep up with 27-year-old Paul.
Who will come out on top: boxing’s living legend or the flashy young challenger? Find out Jul. 20 when the bout goes down at AT&T Stadium in Texas. The match will be streamed on Netflix in the streaming platform’s first crack at live sports broadcasting.
