Paul vs Tyson LIVE: Tension builds for fight night after weigh-in slap

The conspiracies are already building ahead of the fight, with the latest social media-led theory surrounding a ‘fight script’ that says Jake Paul will win via KO in the fifth round.

Expect plenty more theories as the fight gets closer!

Ahead of the rescheduled bout, which will air live on Netflix from the AT&T Stadium in Texas, the streaming platform has released a documentary, Countdown: Paul vs Tyson.

The fight is scheduled for eight two-minute rounds, and knockouts are allowed.

Contrary to rumours, the boxers will not wear head guards, although their gloves will weigh 14oz – larger than the standard 10oz versions.

Full fight card (subject to change; ‘C’ denotes champion)

Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson (heavyweight)

Katie Taylor (defending C) vs Amanda Serrano 2 (undisputed women’s super-lightweight titles)

Mario Barrios (interim C) vs Abel Ramos (WBC welterweight title)

Shadasia Green vs Melinda Watpool (vacant women’s WBO super-middleweight title)

Lucas Bahdi vs Armando Casamonica (super-lightweight)

Bruce Carrington vs Dana Coolwell (featherweight)

Neeraj Goyat vs Whindersson Nunes (middleweight)

There is no hate, no love, the gloves are big and the rounds will be short when Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight on Friday night.

Tyson is 58 now, reformed, grey at the edges, his eyes have softened with his belly and each attempt at spitting venom sounds fake. Well, it probably is, so what? He was once Iron Mike, the youngest heavyweight champion in history, so please show some respect.

Paul, in his own unique way, has single-handedly ruined the boxing careers of many UFC stars and exposed them inside the boxing ring as flat-footed swingers; now the former child performer is hunting down faded kings of the ring. It is the unmade Rocky movie with a twist: can the old king beat the young kid? It’s the age-old boxing tale.

But here’s what you don’t understand about the fight…

Read Steve Bunce’s preview in full:

This fight brings together one of the most famous names in boxing history and a relative newcomer to the sport, though the high profile of both fighters – as well as the nature of the fight – has thrust it into the spotlight.

Jake Paul is best known as a YouTuber and performer, despite his references to himself as a boxer, but perhaps a win over ‘Iron Mike’ would be enough for sceptics to take him more seriously. Paul is currently 10-1 in his career, with his only loss coming on points to Tommy Fury in February 2023, and he has beaten famous fighters (though not boxers) such as Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.

On the other hand, Tyson, now aged 58, enters the fight 19 years after his last bout, with his record standing at 50 wins, six losses and two no-contests. In his prime, he was a two-time heavyweight champion of the world.

His last professional fight was against Kevin McBride in 2005, while he also lost to Lennox Lewis and, perhaps most famously, both Evander Holyfield and Buster Douglas.

All of these fights and results have factored into The Independent’s own top 10, pound-for-pound rankings for men’s boxers, to be updated monthly.

While there is no exact science to putting together lists such as this, a number of factors have been considered in making the rankings, including each fighter’s overall record, recent record, level of activity and calibre of opposition.

Paul, who is now 10-1 with seven knockouts and whose only defeat was on points to Tommy Fury, believes a cruiserweight bout against Alvarez for a version of the world title can be agreed for 2025.

“This moment will prove that I’m the face of boxing,” Paul said. “The largest attraction, and me vs Canelo at 200lbs for the cruiserweight world title is the biggest fight.”

Jake Paul lost his cool at the press conference for his fight with Mike Tyson, making numerous $1m bets with undercard boxers who predicted he will lose.

The heavyweight icon did compete in an exhibition bout as recently as 2020, against Roy Jones Jr, but some fear for Tyson’s health here – particularly after his fight with Paul was delayed earlier this year, when Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up on a plane. Meanwhile, YouTube star Paul has gone 10-1 as a pro boxer in recent years, mainly beating MMA fighters and lesser-known boxers. His sole loss was a points defeat by Tommy Fury – half-brother of Tyson Fury – in 2023.

And at the end of Wednesday’s press conference for Paul vs Tyson, host Ariel Helwani asked every undercard fighter who they think will win Friday’s main event.

It says something that several US states have banned betting on Friday’s fight between boxing’s Mike Tyson and attention’s Jake Paul. You cannot place a bet in New York, for example, or a wager in Colorado, where gaming commissioners are treating the event as something akin to an exhibition. That is despite the fight’s official stamp of approval by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, but then anything goes in Texas.

The fight is dressed up as a professional boxing bout, but it is easy to see why some inside the sport feel uneasy. The two outcomes of a genuinely brutal contest would be: a 27-year-old gym jock beats up a sickly 58-year-old grandfather; or one of the most ruthless boxers of all time knocks out an out-of-depth YouTuber. Either way, the optics aren’t great.

Which is why it’s unlikely either of those things will happen. Both boxers will wear heavy 14oz gloves to slow down hands and cushion impacts, rather than the standard 10oz gloves. The fight will take place across eight two-minute rounds, rather than the usual 12 three-minute rounds. It is officially sanctioned but it is also designed to avoid genuine horror.