Tyson v Paul sanctioned as professional fight

Boxing great Mike Tyson and YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul's July 20 bout in Arlington will be a sanctioned, professional fight that will count on both men's records, the fight promoter said on Monday.

The heavyweight match-up, which will be streamed live on Netflix, will be contested over eight, two-minute rounds with 14 ounce gloves at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium, which is home to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

'Iron Mike' Tyson, one of the most feared boxers in history, will be 58 when he enters the ring for the first time since his November 2020 exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr., which ended in a draw.

It was thought the bout between Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) and 27-year-old Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) would also be an exhibition due to Tyson's age but the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) sanctioned it anyway. An exhibition typically has no judges and can only be won by knockout, meaning there is a higher possibility of a draw.

The 31-year age gap between the fighters is the biggest in the history of professional boxing, according to ESPN. "Mike Tyson and Jake Paul signed on to fight each other with the desire to do so in a sanctioned professional fight that would have a definitive outcome," said Nakisa Bidarian, who along with Paul founded Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).

"Over the past six weeks MVP has worked with its partners to satisfy the requirements of the TDLR to sanction Paul versus Tyson and we are grateful that we have got to this point."

The undercard will see lightweight champion Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) battle seven-division champion Amanda Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) in a rematch of their April 2022 fight when Ireland's Taylor beat the Puerto Rican on a split decision.