How fame, ferocity and finances are at stake in Netflix fight

Even if you are not a boxing fan, in the know about goings-on in influencer culture or aware of what’s streaming on Netflix at any given time, you’ve probably heard that Jake Paul is facing Mike Tyson in the ring on Nov. 15.

Paul, a 27-year-old YouTuber who built an empire out of creating onscreen controversy and became a surprisingly skilled boxer, is taking on Mike Tyson, the 58-year-old boxing legend known as “the baddest man on the planet.”

They’ll face off at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas — an enormous venue where the Dallas Cowboys play. Netflix is streaming the match, making it accessible to boxing fans and subscribers at no extra cost. It’s expected to attract more viewers than the largest-ever pay-per-view audience. That record was set by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

The fight was originally supposed to take place on July 20, but it was postponed when Tyson, who had technically been retired for 19 years, had a dangerous ulcer flareup.

The typical rules of boxing have been amended for the fight — they will face off in eight two-minute rounds. Men’s professional boxing matches usually range from four to 12 rounds of three minutes each. They’re still allowed to knock each other out, though.

So why are they doing this? First and foremost, it’s going to make a lot of money. Because they’re both taking this chance, their reputations are at stake.

Mike Tyson knocks down Trevor Berbick in 1986. Tyson won the fight by knockout in 2:35 of the second round to become the youngest heavyweight champion of the world in history at 20. (Carlos Schiebeck/AFP)

Tyson doesn’t have to fight Paul. His legacy has been cemented. He’s one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time — a transcendent personality who is recognizable and beloved despite many controversies, including a rape conviction. He bit off Evander Holyfield’s ear. Winning this fight wouldn’t change his life or finances. Tyson just wants to fight because, as he told Rosie Perez in an interview, “I’m Mike Tyson … I want to test myself and see, ‘Can I really do it?’”

Paul has a lot to prove. He’s a remarkably talented boxer for someone who got famous posting six-second comedy clips on the now-defunct social media platform Vine with his brother, Logan Paul, but all of the wins under his belt came from professional fighters and other athletes — not professional boxers.

“Jake Paul, if he gets knocked out by Mike Tyson, then he got knocked out by Mike Tyson. That’s almost cool to say,” Chris Mannix, a writer for Sports Illustrated, said in Netflix’s Countdown: Paul Vs Tyson docuseries.

Jake Paul accepts the Radio Disney Music Award for Favorite Social Music Artist in 2017. (Image Group LA/Disney Channel via Getty Images)

Paul has a reputation as a loudmouth and a troublemaker, but so does Tyson. They’re both ferocious fighters and natural entertainers. Paul has more than 20 million subscribers on YouTube, but Tyson has decades of fame. One of Tyson’s post-fight speeches in 2000 will go down in history.

“My style is impetuous, my defense is impregnable, and I’m just ferocious. I want your heart, I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah,” Tyson said.

If Tyson beats Paul, he proves he can overcome time and retirement to solidify his legacy. If Paul beats Tyson, he will have defeated a legend past his prime. The real challenge will be seeing if Tyson, two decades after his last professional fight, can get himself to the same level as someone who’s half his age.

In a now-viral clip from the Countdown docuseries, Tyson says there is a “fundamental difference” between him and Paul.

“He’s a manufactured killer. Television and papers made him a killer. He’s manufactured. I’m a natural-born killer. That’s the difference,” he said.

At the final press conference for the fight, Paul said that “everyone’s entitled to their opinion.”

“The deadliest weapon on the planet is manufactured, and that’s a nuke,” he added.

Paul’s boxing career might be manufactured — he has poured resources from his influencer career into it instead of rising through the ranks with raw talent as Tyson did — but it’s something he has been working on since 2018. He might never shake the “Problem Child” nickname (even if he goes by “El Gallo” now), but Paul’s 18-minute video endorsing Donald Trump before the election marked a shift in how people see him. Paul was one of many conservative influencers who made a last-minute endorsement, and commenters admitted that while they don’t enjoy his persona, they respect his opinions.

The boxing promotional company Paul co-owns, Most Valuable Promotions, is teaming up with Netflix to put on the fight. Paul founded a venture capital firm, a sports promotions agency and a sports betting company with its own media wing. He might have gotten the inspiration to fight Tyson from an ayahuasca ceremony, but he did successfully manifest it.

Jake Paul during an open workout session on Nov. 12. (Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

The match itself could draw high-profile crowds of sports personalities and influencers. Even Trump has expressed interest in attending.

At the final press conference for the fight on Wednesday, Paul called on Tyson to “be that old savage Mike.”

“He says he’s going to kill me. I’m ready. I want that killer,” Paul said. “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.”

A stoic Tyson didn’t have as much to add.

“I’m just ready to fight. I’ve said everything I had to say,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to fighting.”

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson starts streaming Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix.

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