Mike Tyson and Jake Paul at the press conference in May at The Apollo Theater in New York City to promote their boxing match.Sarah Stier / Getty Images for Netflix
The fight nobody asked for yet everyone will watch is finally here: Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul. The former lineal heavyweight champion, 58, will box a social media star 31 years younger than him Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Netflix will be streaming six fights starting at 8 p.m. ET before the main event begins around 11 p.m.
Paul, 27, only took up the sport a handful of years ago but has gone 10-1 as a professional. Few of his opponents were legitimate boxers, let alone legends, but to his credit he’s been active and largely successful.
Tyson, meanwhile, has not fought since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005. In that fight he looked like a shell of his former self — one of the most fearsome men to ever put on boxing gloves. The Hall of Famer was the youngest heavyweight champion ever and began his career with 19 straight knockouts.
Will Tyson show his age or will he turn back the clock? How will Paul fare against one of the greatest to ever compete? Stay with NBC News all night for the latest from Dallas.
Jerry Jones excited for Tyson-Paul
Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys, is on hand at AT&T Stadium for Paul vs. Tyson. He has hosted past huge fights but said nothing compares to this thanks to the power of Netflix.
“This tonight gives us a chance to go to 40, 50 million people.”
Streaming problems evoke frustration, jokes
The undercard of the much-hyped Tyson vs. Paul event ran into some trouble, and it had nothing to do with the boxers in the ring.
Annoyed views on X complained of frozen, stuttered or low-quality video on the stream from Netflix.
Users shared gifs of highly pixelated videos, or images of wires and comments suggesting that the streaming company’s IT department must be in for a rough night.
One even dusted off the old “connecting” screen from the America Online days to make a joke about the problems.
A spokesperson for Netflix said the company had no comment at this time.
Up next: Katie Taylor rematches Amanda Serrano
Get to a screen.
Taylor and Serrano fought once prior in what some consider the greatest fight in women’s boxing history. In that bout, Taylor defeated Serrano via split decision. It was a back-and-forth battle, and we’ll hope we get the same in the rematch tonight.
Barrios retains WBC welterweight belt with split draw
Wow. What an awesome fight. Barrios entered as the -1200 favorite and was expected to cruise. Instead it was a war where both fighters left everything on the canvas (including a lot of blood). Major props to both warriors.
The judges ruled it a split draw, allowing Barrios will keep his title belt.
- 114-112 Ramos
- 116-110 Barrios
- 113-113 Draw
Tyson gets too real with 14-year-old interviewer
Tyson stunned a teenage girl on Thursday after she lobbed him an easy feel-good question — only to get a shockingly bleak response about death and eternal nothingness.
The jaw-dropping comments came as Tyson did a round of interviews ahead of his high-profile bout with Paul.
When 14-year-old Jazlyn Guerra, the young journalist behind Jazzys World TV, asked what kind of “legacy” he hopes to leave behind, the unflinching Tyson explained how fleeting and seemingly meaningless strolling this planet could be.
“I don’t believe in the word ‘legacy.’ I think that’s another word for ego. Legacy doesn’t mean nothing. That’s just some word everybody grabbed on to. Someone said that word and everyone grabbed on to that word, now it’s used every five seconds,” Tyson said in an interview that posted on Thursday.
Down goes Barrios
Barrios, the heavy favorite, was cruising in this one before Ramos connected on a straight right that sent his opponent to the mat. Ramos continued to batter Barrios with shots but he was saved by the bell.
We have a fight as we head to Round 6.
Tyson has arrived
Huge knockdown by Barrios in Round 2
With 15 seconds remaining in the round, Barrios dropped Ramos with a hard straight right. He connected a left hook moments prior to set up the lethal punch.
This might not last much longer.
Barrios nearly knocks down Ramos in Round 1
Barrios is heavily favored and for good reason. His elite skill set was on full display early in this one, as he landed a straight right that buckled Ramos’ knees. He fell backwards but did not hit the mat.
We go to Round 2.
Jake Paul has arrived
Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos about to start
WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios (29-2) will aim for his first title defense against Abel Ramos (28-6). Barrios, 29, is a big favorite at -1200. He has won three straight fights.
What fights happen before Tyson-Paul?
Two more fights remain ahead of the main event.
- Katie Taylor (champion) vs. Amanda Serrano, for the undisputed lightweight title
- Mario Barrios (champion) vs. Abel Ramos, for the WBC welterweight title
Goyat defeats Nunes by unanimous decision
Goyat cruised past Nunes via unanimous decision in the opening fight of the night. Two judges scored the fight 60-54 while one judge had it 59-55.
Goyat, now 19-4-2 in his career, put his extensive experience on display against a foe with little time in the ring.
Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes about to start
Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes, a middleweight fight, is about to kick things off at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas.
Goyat, of India, is 18-4 with 8 KOs. Nunes, a Brazilian, is 2-2-1. Nunes is a comedian and fellow YouTuber with 44 million subscribers.
Paul does not see this fight going the distance
Paul was asked earlier this week what goes through his mind when he thinks of vintage Tyson.
“I fear no man, so I want him to be that old savage Mike,” he said. “He says he’s going to kill me. I’m ready. I want that killer. I want the hardest match possible Friday night, and I want there to be no excuses from everyone at home when I knock him out.”
Does he see this going the distance?
“No, someone’s getting put to sleep. It’s going to be a war, and we’re both heavy hitters. It’s not going the full 16 minutes.”
Official weigh in results
Both fighters weighed in for the final time and are almost the exact same weight. Paul, at 6-foot-1, does have a three-inch height advantage over Tyson.
Wasn’t this fight supposed to happen over the summer?
Yes. It was initially scheduled for July 20, but Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup while he was on a flight that postponed it.
On “Countdown: Paul vs Tyson,” a pre-fight documentary, Tyson described in detail what he went through.
“I had a big ulcer, 2½ inches, and it was bleeding,” Tyson said. “All my friends were calling me like I was dying. I asked the doctor if I was going to die, and she didn’t say ‘No.’ … You wouldn’t believe what I endured from my ulcer. I lost 26 pounds.”
Age gap could be the difference tonight
Tyson still packs a huge punch, even at 58, but he’s fighting someone half his age in the peak of his professional boxing career. Since Tyson last fought — a sixth-round TKO to Kevin McBride in 2020 — Paul has competed 10 times.
Ring rust is a real thing. How much will it affect Tyson tonight? He’s looked good in training but it could be different in the ring and his cardio is not anywhere close to what it used to be.
Tyson slapped Paul at weigh-ins
At ceremonial weigh-ins on Thursday, Tyson faced off with Paul for the final time before their bout. Craziness ensued when Tyson slapped Paul across the face.
