Mike Tyson provides an update on the rules of the upcoming clash with Jake Paul
Three months out from the eyebrow-raising match-up between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson and finally fans have been provided with some clarity in regards to the nature of the contest, after a rather ambiguous initial announcement.
It was declared that YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul would take on the once ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ on July 20, regardless of the 30-year age difference between the peculiar pairing.
Following the news, it was widely reported that both men were hoping for the affair to be a professional one, with the increased jeopardy of impacted professional records sure to provide motivation for the competition and increase global interest.
However, in an interview with Fox News, ‘Iron Mike’ confirmed that the meeting would be an exhibition, but claimed that their fight would only be an exhibition by name, with all the mean intentions of a professional showdown.
“This is called an exhibition, but if you look up ‘exhibition’ [in the dictionary] you will not see any of the laws that we are fighting under. This is a fight,” the Brooklyn-born boxer bellowed.
“Anything that I am afraid of, I confront it. That is my personality. Right now, I am scared to death but as the fight gets closer, the less nervous I become because it is reality and, in reality, I am invincible.”
Further details surrounding the sizes of gloves, number of rounds and length of rounds are yet to be confirmed, but it is rumoured that their battle will be fought in 16oz gloves and two-minute rounds, under the auspices of the Texas Boxing Commission.
Tyson also confirmed that he and Paul will not have 18oz gloves or headguards, as both plan for a competitive and respectable fight when they clash on July 20th, live on Netflix.
Mike Tyson was born in 1966, over 30 years before Jake Paul. In fact, Tyson had already won 47 pro fights and six world titles, before the YouTuber was even alive.