Jake Paul got exactly what he wanted — his upcoming boxing match with Mike Tyson has been a viral talking point in the combat sports world (and beyond) since its announcement earlier this month. And there’s been a lot of chatter about the supposed rules dictating the hand-to-hand affair. But, do we actually know what those are?
From claims of the two combatants duking it out while donning headgear to wearing 18-ounce boxing gloves, many have criticized “The Problem Child” for picking a fight with a 57-year-old retired icon, and they’ve cited different “rules” to fortify their judgment.
TikTok videos discussing the bout’s parameters have garnered millions of views. For example, content creator “pickempeteyy” posted a video on TikTok claiming what was going down on July 20. The video, which has picked up nearly 19 million views, is clearly in jest, but his first point touched on a rumor circulating the interweb — Paul’s been set up to win the match.
“The rules in this fight are absolutely absurd,” he said. “Even at 60 years old, Mike Tyson would absolutely dominate Jake Paul so they had to adjust the rules to make this a somewhat fair fight.” But, at the time of this writing — March 27 — the official ruleset for Tyson vs. Paul hasn’t been shared with the public.
Now, his detractors have attached the word “rigged” to The Problem Child’s matches on several occasions, like when he knocked out former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, or decisioned mixed martial arts legend Anderson Silva. Nothing has ever been proven, however.
Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions business partner Nakisa Bidarian shot down the notion that Paul and Tyson would sport headgear. “Unequivocally there is no headgear for Paul vs Tyson,” Bidarian wrote on Instagram (shared by USA Today).
“Haters spreading fake news but it won’t stop the 10’s of millions of views,” he continued.
We also don’t know anything about the glove size, and the number and length of rounds. It’s assumed that it’ll be a heavyweight contest though, as “Iron Mike” is the division’s former king. We also don’t know whether the fight will be contended as a professional match, or as an exhibition. When Tyson ended his 15-year retirement to take on a fellow great, Roy Jones Jr., they headlined the Triller card as an exhibition match, meaning the draw didn’t touch their professional records.
At this moment, all know about the match is when and where it is, and whose names are at the top of the bill. Tyson vs. Paul will stream exclusively on Netflix on July 20, and it’ll broadcast in front of a live audience at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.