Jake Paul-Mike Tyson a sanctioned fight, no longer an exhibition

Field Level Media|published: Mon 29th April, 16:11 2024

Dec 15, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; Jake Paul reacts after knocking out Andre August in the first round at Caribe Royale Orlando. credits: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Jake Paul's boxing career continues to gain legitimacy. His match against former world champion Mike Tyson this summer has moved from an exhibition to a professional fight.

According to a news release Monday from Paul's MVP Promotions, the bout is now officially sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.

"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," Nakisa Bidarian said in the MVP Promotions release.

"Over the past six weeks, MVP has worked with its partners to satisfy the requirements of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) to sanction Paul vs. Tyson and we are grateful that we have gotten to this point."

Tyson (50-6, 44 knockouts) and Paul (9-1, eight KOs) are scheduled to meet July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Netflix will livestream the fight, with each of the eight scheduled rounds to be two minutes.

Paul, 27, is a YouTube sensation with 4.6 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, and 27 million on Instagram. He most recently defeated journeyman boxer Ryan Bourland.

Tyson, 57, has not seen action since an exhibition-fight draw with Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020. His last professional fight came in 2005, a loss to Kevin McBride.

—Field Level Media