Report: Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul will be a sanctioned bout, not an exhibition

Those who consider the July 20 “fight” between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul a travesty now have more ammunition.

ESPN is reporting that Texas officials are sanctioning the bout, which will take place on Netflix from AT&T Stadium outside Dallas. That means it’s a genuine professional boxing match, not an exhibition as previously believed.

Tyson, the former heavyweight champion, turns 58 on June 30. Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer is 27, making it a 31-year age gap.

Tyson regularly posts videos on social media to demonstrate his fitness but he hasn’t taken part in a sanctioned bout since he was stopped by Kevin McBride in 2005, 19 years ago.

The Hall of Famer was last in the ring in 2020, when he and Roy Jones Jr. took part in an exhibition that was more fun and games than a real fight.

Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, is pleased with the decision of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations, which oversees boxing in the state.

“Mike Tyson and Jake Paul signed on to fight each other with the desire to do so in a sanctioned professional fight that would have a definitive outcome,” Bidarian said in a statement to ESPN.

“Over the past six weeks, MVP has worked with its partners to satisfy the requirements of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations to sanction Paul vs. Tyson, and we are grateful that we have gotten to this point.”

Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) has been fighting as a cruiserweight, which has a limit of 200 pounds, but the meeting with Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) will be a heavyweight bout.

It will be contested over eight two-minute rounds, which presumably is a nod to Tyson’s age. Two-minute rounds are used in most women’s fights.

Paul is coming off back-to-back first-round knockouts, of Andre August in December and Ryan Bourland in March.