The Jake Paul Vs. Mike Tyson Fight Rules, Explained
Many boxers have fought Mike Tyson, often finding out firsthand why stepping into the ring with prime Iron Mike was an extremely bad idea. The boxing legend's newest opponent is influencer and boxer Jake Paul, who's set to fight Tyson on July 20 in a match that takes place in Arlington, Texas, and will be globally available as a Netflix pay-per-view. The rules for the bout have been confirmed, and all signs point toward an intense fight ... with a twist or two.
High-profile yet gimmicky fights can sometimes be exhibitions, and the Tyson-Paul fight was also rumored to be one. However, the event will be a fully sanctioned professional heavyweight fight, which means that the results go on the contestants' official records. Knockouts will be allowed, and the boxers will fight without headgear and with relatively heavy and padded 14-ounce gloves as opposed to the standard 10-ounce ones.
Perhaps most interestingly, the rounds will be just two minutes long, with a maximum of eight rounds. Given that the usual round length is three minutes, this is likely good news for the significantly older Tyson — as is the knockout rule, seeing as 44 of his 50 boxing victories came via knockout.
The old champion faces the young upstart
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul enter the fight from radically different directions. Tyson is a former champion whose last professional fight was in 2005. While he remains famous for his boxing achievements, Tyson's film and TV appearances — such as the sizeable cameo in "Hangover" and the cool fight scene with Donnie Yen in "Ip Man 3" — have been an increasingly large part of his public image while he's stayed away from the ring.
Meanwhile, the considerably younger Paul is an active boxer, but with a 9-1 record, he's still comparatively inexperienced. He's also fought considerably lower-caliber opponents than Tyson, who's done battle with major names like Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, and Frank Bruno. Famous folks have wanted to fight Tyson before, and with Paul's YouTuber background, it can be easy to see him in a similar light — as a celebrity who dabbles in boxing — as opposed to Tyson, a boxer whose fists propelled his rise to fame. As such, this fight will be a major milestone for him.
It remains to be seen if the fight is destined to become yet another tragic detail about Jake Paul or whether he's able to leverage the pair's three-decade age difference into the highest-profile victory of his career. Still, with these rules, it's clear that the stakes are high, and the fight has a chance to be supremely entertaining.