Paul vs Tyson LIVE: Latest updates and start time as tension builds for fight night after weigh-in slap
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson tipped the scales before their boxing match on Netflix
Mike Tyson slapped Jake Paul in a heated final face-off for their boxing match, leading the YouTuber to say the heavyweight legend “hits like a b***h.”
Tyson, 58, will fight YouTuber Paul, 27, in Texas live on Netflix tonight in the former heavyweight champion’s first professional bout in 19 years.
And one night before that divisive fight, Tyson and Paul tipped the scales at a weigh-in, as fans in Dallas cheered the boxing great and booed the social-media star. As Paul and Tyson came face to face, the latter slapped Paul, before security separated the pair.
“Talking’s over,” Tyson told host Ariel Helwani, before refusing to explain why he hit Paul or answer more questions. Paul then said: “I didn’t even feel it. He’s angry. He’s an angry little elf. Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap, buddy, but tomorrow you’re getting knocked the f*** out. I’m f***ing him up.”
Paul also screamed: “He hits like a b***, it’s personal now, he must die!” Follow the latest updates ahead of tonight’s fight below:
Mike Tyson slaps Jake Paul and refuses to answer questions at final face-off for fight
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Mike Tyson: A career in photos
Below, Tyson lays on the canvas after being knocked down by Evander Holyfield in their first fight in 1996.
Holyfield and Tyson lock heads during their rematch, in which the latter was later disqualified for biting. This bout took place in June 1997 - Jake Paul would have been around five months old at the time.
How much will Jake Paul and Mike Tyson earn for blockbuster fight?
While the fight purses have not been officially disclosed, Paul claimed at a press conference in August: “I’m here to make $40m and knock out a legend.”
$40m equates to roughly £31.1m, while Tyson will earn approximately $20m (£15.4m), according to friend and former UFC champion Henry Cejudo.
Fight odds
With all the talk of ‘scripting’ and the controversy over the age gap, let’s take a look at the odds for the fight.
Across the board, Paul is priced as low as 13/8. Tyson is as high as 2/1 to win, with a draw priced as high as 11/1 with some bookies.
Tyson last fought in 2020, in an exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr that ended in a split-draw decision.
Odds:
Paul – 2/5
Tyson – 12/5
Draw – 9/1
Is Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul ‘scripted’ or is it a real fight?
Seems a good time to remind readers of this piece...
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.
Is Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul ‘scripted’ or is it a real fight?
The controversial bout has been denounced as ‘dangerous’ and even ‘fixed’ but Paul and Tyson insist they will be going all out to land a knockout blow when they clash in Dallas on Friday night
Fight script ‘leaked'
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!
Mike Tyson threw up blood on plane before Jake Paul fight was cancelled
The details of Mike Tyson’s health scare this year have been revealed in a new documentary about his fight with Jake Paul, after the heavyweight legend “threw up blood” on a plane.
Tyson will box YouTube star Paul on 15 November, but the fight was initially due to take place in July, only to be delayed when “Iron Mike” suffered an ulcer flare-up in May.
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.
Mike Tyson threw up blood on plane before Jake Paul fight was cancelled
The 58-year-old suffered an ulcer flare-up in May, leading his bout with Paul to be delayed until 15 November
Paul vs Tyson rules: How many rounds and are knockouts allowed?
What are the rules?
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.
Paul vs Tyson rules: How many rounds and are KOs allowed?
Everything you need to know about the controversial fight, which will stream live on Netflix
Full fight card
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)
The awkward truth behind Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson
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.
It makes no difference if the men share fifty million dollars for their carnival night in a Texas ring. It is one of the purest fights for money in the dirty, old boxing game; it’s not personal, it’s just cash. And, lots of it.
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.
It has, obviously, been called a freak show, a meaningless event, a danger to Tyson’s health and a threat to the dignity of boxing, having been rearranged after Tyson suffered a health scare.
But here’s what you don’t understand about the fight...
Read Steve Bunce’s preview in full:
The awkward truth behind Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson
A carnival of boxing awaits on Friday in Texas and, as Steve Bunce outlines, the bout between the former heavyweight world champion and the crossover star could leave everybody as a winner
Tyson & Paul professional records
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.
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