We’re under way in Texas. Both feel their way through the opening seconds.

The build-up in the ring begins as the fighters’ records are read out. It was a strikingly calm approach for both to the ring, including the music.

That has all made way now for the increased tempo and atmosphere of the ring.

Both fighters are wearing black now they’ve taken off their outer layer.

A promo video fires to introduce “the greatest women’s boxer of all time”.

Taylor bouncers her way into view, in contrast with Serrano’s entrance, but the Irish boxer then slows to a similar methodical approach to the ring.

It’s perhaps an even slower walk than that of Serrano. Maybe making a point and making her opponent wait.

She wears a black robe with her name written in gold on the back with sprinkles of gold around the shoulders as well.

The betting odds have challenger Amanda Serrano a slight favourite vs the incumbent champion Katie Taylor in their super lightweight world championship rematch.

Taylor defeated Serrano by a split-decision the last time they fought on April 30, 2022, after they closed out the tenth and final round with a furious 30-second brawl at Madison Square Garden in New York.

All clad in black, Serrano is the first to make her way to the ring. It’s a slow and calm walk to the ring.

Looks like a bullet-proof vest that she’s wearing as she makes her way from the dressing room.

The co-main event will see Ireland’s Katie Taylor defend her status as undisputed super lightweight champion against Amanda Serrano of Puerto Rico.

The last time they fought in 2022, Taylor and Serrano made history as the first female fighters to headline a boxing event at the famous Madison Square Garden’s 140-year history.

Division/Weight: Super Lightweight
Taylor record: 23-1
Serrano record:47-2-1
Belts at stake: IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and The Ring super lightweight titles

Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano fighting for IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s super-lightweight titles next.

The Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul to follow – less than an hour away!

Two fantastic fights to come.

WBC champion Mario Barrios defeated Abel Ramos – although the 12-round championship contest turned out to be a lot closer than many expected.

This bout between the two Mexicans was ruled a split draw. The judges scored it: 114-112, 110-116, 113-113.

The drawn result ensures Barrios retains the title.

Ramos, a clear underdog in this fight, performed brilliantly in the second half of the fight and was unlucky not to steal it.

Nearly 40 years after making his professional debut, and 19 years after being battered into retirement, Mike Tyson, now 58, will climb back into the ring on Friday for a Netflix-backed bout that has drawn widespread condemnation across the boxing world.

Critics say Friday’s contest poses an unacceptable level of risk for Tyson, who last graced a professional ring in 2005, when he was beaten via a technical knockout after quitting on his stool against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride.

“Twenty years ago, Mike Tyson retired from boxing, and was shot to pieces, right? I mean, completely shot,” British fight promoter Eddie Hearn said this week.

“If anyone thinks that Mike Tyson should be in a ring at this age, you either have absolutely no emotional feelings toward the man, or you’re an idiot. It shouldn’t be happening.”

Hearn’s rival promoter Frank Warren echoed those sentiments.

“Mike Tyson is 58 years of age and he shouldn’t be fighting,” Warren said after the bout was announced. “It’s as simple as that.”

Tyson, who, as per reports, is being paid about $20m for the contest, has brushed off the concerns for his wellbeing, insisting that critics from the boxing world are motivated by jealousy.

The co-main event of the evening is a championship rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano for the women’s undisputed super welterweight title.

At stake is the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s super-lightweight titles.

Taylor won a split decision that many questioned in a slugfest at sold-out Madison Square Garden in 2022 in the first women’s fight to headline at the famous venue.

It is the second-last fight of the night with Tyson-Paul ring walks expected shortly after this fight ends.

This fight will begin shortly.

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul have arrived at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Not long to go now.

The cheapest tickets are priced at $55 but fans looking to get closer to the action than ever before can spend $2m for ringside apron seats.

The premium hospitality package for the fight, a 10-ticket “MVP Owner’s Experience”, will seat two people in a private suite less than two metres (six feet) from the action.

Among the other perks are a pre-fight locker room visit with Tyson and Paul, a chance to be onstage during the weigh-in, autographed gloves from both boxers and personal concierge and security detail during the week.

In addition to the ringside apron suite, the package includes four seats in each of the first two rows.

Mario Barrios vs Abel Ramos:

Division/weight: Welterweight
Barrios record: 29-2
Ramos record: 28-6-2
Belts at stake: WBC welterweight title

Mario Barrios defends the WBC welterweight title against Abel Ramos.

Barrios (29-2) won interim gold and became full-time champion after Terence Crawford was named “champion in recess”. “El Azteca” has 18 wins via knockout.

Ramos (28-6-2) is 2-2 in his last four fights. The 33-year-old has 22 wins via knockout.

Interim champion Mario Barrios of the USA will try to defend his WBC welterweight title against compatriot Abel Ramos.

It’s a 12-round contest.

Ramos winning tonight would be a big upset here against the world champ!

Neeraj Goyat was too classy, too experienced for Whindersson Nunes in their six-round Super-middleweight clash.

The decision of the judges was unanimous for Goyat: 59-55, 60-54, 60-54.

Nunes went the distance but was clearly overmatched in this contest – he landed 171 punches to Nunes’ 87.

Goyat is now 19-4-2 for his career.

The Tyson-Paul main event is now less than two hours away!

Paul said back in August he would put Tyson to sleep in tonight’s contest.

“I am here to make 40 million dollars and knock out a legend,” Paul said.

“I love Mike and I respect him but we are not friends any more until November 15,” he said.

Neeraj Goyat vs Whindersson Nunes:

Division/weight: Middleweight
Goyat record: 18-4-2
Nunes record: 0-1
Belts at stake: N/A

The first Indian to have made the WBC rankings, Goyat (18-4-2), 33, won bronze in the 2008 Youth Commonwealth Games. He beat former WBA “regular” featherweight champion Xu Can early in his career and is 1-1 in his last two fights.

Nunes, 29, is a comedian who has produced videos on YouTube since 2013. He has 44.7 million subscribers on the platform. The Brazilian has competed in numerous exhibition fights and lost his only pro fight against My Mate Nate last October.

The fight will be contested over six, three-minute rounds.

India’s Neeraj Goyat vs Whindersson Nunes of Brazil will be a six-round, non-title fight.

Shadasia Green has defeated Melinda Watpool for the vacant women’s WBO super middleweight title.

In a close one, the judges gave it to Green via a split decision: 97-93, 94-96, 96-94.

The AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas was selected as the venue for tonight’s huge clash between Tyson and Paul.

This impressive, state of the art stadium is the home venue of the famous NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys.

It has an 80,000-seat capacity and was hurriedly converted into a boxing venue for this fight.

Shadasia Green vs Melinda Watpool:

Division/weight: Super middleweight
Green record: 14-1
Watpool record: 7-0
Belts at stake: WBO super middleweight title

Shadasia Green and Melinda Watpool will compete for the women’s WBO super middleweight title.

Signed by Most Valuable Promotions, Green (14-1) beat former champion Elin Cederroos in 2023 but failed to capture the WBC super middleweight title against Franchon Crews-Dezurn in December. “The Sweet Terminator” is a former Division I basketball player for Old Dominion University.

Watpool (7-0) is a five-time amateur national champion. “The Whip” looks to go 3-0 in 2024.

Lucas Bahdi has avoided being upset by defeating Armando Casamonica in their 10-round lightweight classification fight. Both fighters were unbeaten heading into this contest.

The judges gave it to Bahdi 95-95, 96-93, 98-92.

Next up is Shadashia Green vs Melinda Watpool in the first of the two women’s bouts of the night.

This showdown has been years in the making.

Tyson is no stranger to exhibition fights since he fought his last sanctioned professional bout in 2005.

In fact, the idea for tonight’s fight was most likely conceived at Tyson’s most recent exhibition bout on November 28, 2020, where Paul fought on the undercard of Tyson’s last outing against Roy Jones Jr.

Tyson was reportedly impressed by Paul’s performance on that night and in his fledgling boxing career since.

“He’s grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT,” Tyson said in a statement to coincide with the fight launch in March 2024.

“I started him on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him,” Tyson quipped.

The bout was pushed back from its July 20 date due to the former heavyweight champion’s recent ulcer flare-up in the first week of June 2024. Now, Tyson is reportedly in good shape and not suffering from any lingering medical issues associated with the ulcer.

There are five undercard fights before the Tyson vs Paul bout.

They will be followed by a co-main event featuring Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano in a highly anticipated battle for the undisputed women’s super-lightweight title.

Tyson vs Paul will be the final act of the evening, with the boxers expected to make their ring walk at around 04:00 GMT.

Main card:

• Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, heavyweights (eight rounds lasting two minutes each)
• Title fight – Katie Taylor (defending champion) vs Amanda Serrano, undisputed junior welterweight titles (10 two-minute rounds)
• Title fight – Mario Barrios (interim champion) vs Abel Ramos, WBC welterweight title (12 rounds)
• Neeraj Goyat vs Whindersson Nunes, middleweights (six rounds)

Preliminary card:

• Title fight – Shadasia Green vs Melinda Watpool, vacant WBO super middleweight title (10 rounds)
• Lucas Bahdi vs Armando Casamonica, lightweights (10 rounds)
• Bruce Carrington vs Dana Coolwell, featherweights (eight rounds)

At 58, Mike Tyson is not the all-conquering, destructive force of nature that he was in the late-1980s, when he terrified all-comers in the heavyweight boxing scene, turning world championship contenders into pretenders with his menacing approach, powerful punches and super-fast footwork.

Yet, even with his declining skillset, ‘Iron Mike’, as he if often called, would still defeat many men half his age with his fists of fury, both in and out of the ring.

The calculus tonight is whether he can muster up enough veteran-savvy boxing skill, tactics and raw hitting power to hang with Jake Paul, who despite the dismissive YouTube fighter jibes, has developed into a more-than-capable boxer in recent years, and with a winning record to prove it – albeit not against elite competition.

Paul is no fool in the ring and at just 27, represents a formidable physical challenge for Tyson to overcome in tonight’s much anticipated, eight round contest – he is taller, has a longer reach and blessed by youth, enjoys greater powers of recovery and endurance.

It’s perhaps the biggest and most hyped celebrity fight ever featuring the most famous living heavyweight boxing legend vs a super-popular YouTube slugger with a fanatical following.

Cynics argue this exhibition bout pits a version of Mike Tyson way, way past his prime years vs an overhyped social boxer in Jake Paul, who wouldn’t stand a chance in the ring against a top heavyweight pro at their peak.

Whatever opinion fans and experts alike might have – and there are many – all are united tonight by the sheer curiosity of watching a contest between two fighters separated by 31 years.

The age difference between Tyson and Paul is the largest in professional boxing history, and that alone is reason to watch this unprecedented sporting experiment.

Who will win? Well, that’s anyone’s guess – and that’s why we are here to find out!

I’m Andrew Semple and along with Kevin Hand, we will take you through all the buildup ahead of the huge Tyson vs Paul clash in Texas. Pre-fight, we’ll post a bunch of talking points, key stats, photos and undercard fight updates from AT&T Stadium, before switching to live text match commentary of the main event.

This is one boxing match you don’t want to miss!