FORMER world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson said his fight against YouTuber Jake Paul on July 20 2024 will be an exhibition match and not an official match.
Tyson, whose professional career ended in 2005, will be 58 three weeks old when he faces Paul in Texas.
Meanwhile, Paul, 27, defeated Ryan Bourland in his 10th professional fight last month.
“This is called an exhibition. However, if you search for the word ‘exhibition’, you will not see any fighting rules. This is a fight,” said Tyson, quoted by the BBC.
The contest, which would not be on their professional record if it were just an exhibition, will be broadcast live on the Netflix streaming platform.
This match will take place at AT&T Stadium Arlington, home of the NFL team the Dallas Cowboys, which has a seating capacity of 80,000 people.
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The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the body that approves boxing events in the state, said permission for the match had been granted.
TDLR ensures that there are no special regulations or other details submitted by the promoter regarding the match.
“Under TDLR rules, in exhibition fights, fighters wear larger boxing gloves (16oz), have two-minute rounds, and fight in fewer rounds than in sanctioned professional fights,” TDLR said in an official statement.
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“In an exhibition, there is a referee but there is no jury and no winner is announced,” added the institution.
Tyson had his last exhibition match in April 2020 against Roy Jones Jr, which ended in a draw.
Meanwhile Paul has won nine of his 10 boxing fights, mostly against former UFC fighters, with a single loss to British boxer Tommy Fury in February 2023.
Also read: Tommy Fury is prohibited from entering the US
Tyson also said he knew Paul through his videos on YouTube which made him famous.
“I saw a video on YouTube when he was 16 years old doing a weird dance. That’s not someone I would fight,” Tyson said.
“This guy is going to come, he’s going to try to hurt me, which I’m used to, and he’s going to make a big mistake,” he added.
Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history at the age of 20 when he defeated Trevor Berbick in his first title fight, November 1986. The boxer from the United States (US) ended his career with a record of 50 wins and six defeats. (Z-1)
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