Jake Paul knows he’s in for some serious heat should he pull off the unthinkable and knock out legendary pugilist ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. He also doesn’t give a sh*t.
On Saturday, July 20, ‘The Problem Child’ will step back inside the squared circle for his biggest fight yet. Emanating from the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Paul will go toe-to-toe with the former unified heavyweight world champion in a professional boxing bout.
When Paul steps inside the ring with Tyson, there will be a 30-year age gap between the two generational talents — a fact that has dominated debates regarding their anticipated clash from the moment it was announced.
Mike Tyson wanted it to be a pro fight. Netflix wanted it to be a pro fight. So I agreed to make it a pro fight. Winner takes all pic.twitter.com/fNLnIiD8fM
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) April 29, 2024
But during a recent episode of his BS w/ Jake Paul podcast, the Cleveland native made it very clear that it was Mike Tyson who asked for this fight to be a professional bout, and if ‘Kid Dynamite’ wants to go to war, he’s more than ready to oblige
“They’re just going to say he’s old and I disrespected him [if I win], but I just want to make it clear that Mike Tyson was the one who wanted it to be a pro fight,” Paul said. “Mike got into training camp and called up people on my team and was like, ‘Let’s do a pro fight.’ Netflix was like, let’s make it a pro fight and I said if that’s what Mike wants, that’s fine, but make sure you tell Mike that there’s no holding back. Whatever happens happens. This is war now and if Mike’s okay with that, then I’m okay with that.
“But I want Mike to be the one making this decision because I respect him as a legend and if he puts me down, I can deal with that. But if I put him down, he needs to be the one making the decision on whether or not he can deal with that. But yes, I’m going in there. Now it’s a pro fight. It’s going on my record and I’m going to f*cking put him down and if people are pissed about it, then watch soccer. Go watch some f*cking volleyball or whatever it is you want to do. Don’t watch boxing.
“At the end of the day, it’s a fight. Whatever happens, happens.”
The bout will be contested over the course of eight two-minute rounds in 14-ounce gloves according to Paul — all demands coming from Tyson himself.
“I think he wants to end my ass,” Paul added. “I think he wants to put me in the dirt and make a statement to all of boxing that he is and was the baddest man on the planet and that he can still get in there at this age and put down the young buck.”
Jake Paul Believes His Fight with Mike Tyson Will Usher in a New Era for Professional Boxing
Even if Jake Paul is unlikely to earn any real respect from fight fans with a win, ‘The Problem Child’ still recognizes this as a massive opportunity to help grow the sport of boxing.
Paul vs. Tyson will air live on Netflix — a first for the streaming giant — to its 260 million subscribers at no additional charge, breaking away from the traditional pay-per-view model that would typically charge anywhere from $60 to $100 for a single event.
With hundreds of millions of homes already paying for the platform necessary to watch the fight, Paul believes that not only will this be the beginning of a new era for the sport, but it will also serve to inspire people watching from around the world for the very first time.
“It’s the biggest fight of the 21st century. Up there with Mayweather vs. McGregor and on Netflix, we’re entering into a streaming era in the sport of boxing. Bringing that to fruition and putting one the most anticipated rematches in boxing [between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano]… Doing it in the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium and what it means for the sport of boxing.
“The amount of kids that will sign up for boxing the next day. The amount of people that this will inspire. It’s a dream come true for me personally. I can’t believe it. Look at where I’ve gotten in four years of boxing. It’s unbelievable. I’ve risen to the highest level and I get to step in there with one of the two most famous boxers to ever live, one being Muhammad Ali and two being Mike Tyson.
“Just off of that, it’s a win.”
Watch the full episode below:
