Bettors slap money on Mike Tyson to take down Jake Paul

Mike Tyson beating Jake Paul by knockout or disqualification is the leading bet in Friday's modified pro boxing bout in Arlington, Texas.

About 52 percent of the total fight handle was backing Tyson by TKO/KO/DQ at DraftKings with odds of +250 at midday on Friday, eight hours before the card was scheduled to begin with streaming exclusively on Netflix. Nearly 50 percent of method-of-victory bets were on Tyson and 13 percent of DraftKings bets and handle were on the +150 odds that Paul would win by the same method.

Not every state with legalized gambling approved wagering on the fight, which altered standard rules with shorter round (two minutes) and heavier gloves (14 ounces instead of the standard 11). The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) has banned any wagering on the match, citing the amended boxing rules.

Money backing Tyson caused consensus odds to lower this week. BetMGM posted an outright Paul win at -190 on Friday afternoon. Opening odds were -275, but 54 percent of the handle and 69 percent of tickets on the fight were on Tyson. The price of that moneyline ticket at BetMGM on Friday was +190, whereas it stood around +275 as a consensus 10 days earlier.

More than 70 percent of moneyline bets were on Tyson as the outright winner at DraftKings, with interest exploding in the days leading up to the fight pitting the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion against the 27-year-old Paul.

"Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight is on track to be the most bet boxing match in BetMGM history. We are starting to see action on Paul but Tyson is still popular with bettors. The worst result would be a first-round knockout by Iron Mike," said Alex Rella, BetMGM senior trader.

BetMGM would pay a steep price on tickets for "Mike Tyson to win in Round 1" at a standing price Friday of +1400. It's the third most-bet ticket at BetMGM behind Tyson TKO/KO/DQ (+250) and Tyson via points decision (+1100).

Paul already has the second-most bet boxing match in BetMGM history from his August 2023 bout with Nate Diaz.

--Field Level Media