Squid Game, Stranger Things and Bridgerton were all Netflix originals — next up for the streaming giant is Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul in the ring.
Netflix’s first live boxing event is expected to attract millions of viewers later this week, despite Paul, 27, being a YouTube-sensation-turned-boxer and the fact Tyson, once the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, is 58 years old.
While there is a lot of money at stake (the exact details of who is earning what have not been made public), the controversial fight has been frowned upon by members of the boxing community, with British promoter Eddie Hearn describing it as “disrespectful” to the sport.
Purists will regard the card’s co-main event as the truer form of boxing — and the better quality fight.
The world’s two best female boxers, Katie Taylor (who Hearn promotes) and Amanda Serrano, meet in a rematch two-and-a-half years after their brutal first bout, with Taylor putting up her IBF, WBC and WBO super-lightweight titles on the line in what has been called the richest fight to date in women’s boxing.
Katie Taylor (left) and challenger Amanda Serrano pose after the final press conference ahead of their upcoming fight (Ed Mulholland/Getty Images)
How to watch
As Netflix bids to make a breakthrough in live sport, this will be the streaming giant’s first foray into boxing. The streaming services’s live sports portfolio already includes two NFL games on Christmas Day this year as part of a three-season deal and, from 2025, WWE’s weekly show, Raw.
Netflix has over 280 million subscribers in more than 190 countries who can all access the fight at no extra cost, meaning that, unusually for big boxing events these days, this is not a pay-per-view offering.
The action all takes place at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, on Friday, November 15. At the time of publication, the event had yet to sell out.
Starting from 8pm ET (1am Saturday, UK time), the card consists of four bouts. While there has yet been no official announcement, Tyson and Paul are expected to start their ring walks at approximately 11pm ET (4am UK).
What are the rules?
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which regulates combat sports in the U.S. state, has sanctioned the bout so it will count on the fighters’ records as a professional match.
However, their gloves will weigh four ounces more than those used by professional heavyweights (10oz), offering greater protection, and the eight scheduled rounds will last two minutes each, rather than the traditional three in men’s professional boxing.
Is this just a publicity stunt?
Mike Tyson, left, and Jake Paul face each other at a press conference on Wednesday (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
The fight, originally scheduled for July but postponed because Tyson had a stomach ulcer, has certainly attracted plenty of attention.
In one corner is Tyson, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in history but also one of sport’s most controversial figures.
In his boxing prime, the self-styled “baddest man on the planet”, was the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990, and is still the youngest world heavyweight champion in history, winning the title at 20. Yet, his turbulent life story has a dark side.
He was convicted of rape in 1992 and sentenced to six years in prison, serving three before being released on parole. After his release, he regained the WBA and WBC titles, joining a select few heavyweights, including Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, to win those belts back.
In 1997, he was disqualified during his Las Vegas rematch with Evander Holyfield — eight months earlier, he had lost his regained WBA title to his compatriot — for biting his opponent’s ear. He was fined $3million and had his Nevada boxing license revoked for a year. At Wednesday’s pre-fight news conference, Paul jokingly wore ear covers.
Now approaching his sixties, Tyson is decades beyond his peak. He was beaten by Irish journeyman Kevin McBride in his last professional bout 19 years ago, while his most recent exhibition fight in 2020 against Roy Jones Jr ended in an unofficial draw. But at the media session yesterday, Tyson repeatedly said: “I’m ready”.
When asked in August why he was getting back in the ring, Tyson responded: “I don’t know, that’s the funny question. Because I can.”
“Who else is he going to fight to make this happen?” added Tyson, remarking at the crowd that had gathered for that press conference. “We’ve got a YouTuber fighting the greatest fighter that ever lived.”
This is a bout which taps into different generations and demographics, given Paul’s appeal to younger audiences. But Paul, who has 20 million subscribers on YouTube, also hopes to become a respected boxer.
What are their records?
Tyson’s professional record is 50-6 with 44 knockouts and two no-contests, while Paul is 10-1 with seven knockouts, though most of his opponents have been former UFC fighters not boxers and also include fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib and Nate Robinson, an ex-NBA basketball player.
His one loss came last year to fellow novice professional Tommy Fury, who is the half-brother of former world champion heavyweight Tyson Fury and previously appeared on British reality TV show Love Island.
But Paul isn’t lacking in confidence and there has been plenty of trash talk over these last few months. “I’m here to make $40million (£31.1m) and knock out a legend,” he said in August.
“I’m the anti-hero and people will love me soon enough once they realise what I’ve done for this sport and who I truly am…” he continued. “I’m here to make history.”
What are others saying?
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn told the BBC this fight was “dangerous, irresponsible, and disrespectful to boxing” and said he would leave the arena before the Tyson-Paul fight starts.
Accomplished boxing writer Donald McRae wrote in British newspaper The Guardian: “The idea that he (Paul) should share a ring with the most renowned boxer the world has seen since Muhammad Ali is an embarrassment.”
But Tyson Fury told the YouTube channel ProBoxingFans: “Anyone who doesn’t think it’s a fantastic event is jealous.” He added that he “appreciated” Tyson for boxing on at his age and Paul for “bringing so many eyeballs to boxing”.
At least there is Taylor-Serrano…
Taylor and Serrano trade punches in April 2022 (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Headlining a sell-out at Madison Square Garden in New York, Taylor retained her world lightweight titles against Serrano in a 2022 fight considered one of the greatest female bouts ever. Taylor, 38 and from the Republic of Ireland, then lost to England’s light-welterweight champ Chantelle Cameron before winning a rematch this time last year.
Serrano, a 36-year-old Puerto Rican, is the unified champion at featherweight (so is stepping up two divisions for this fight at light-welter, where the weight limit is 14lb higher) and has won five contests at that level since the 2022 loss to Taylor, most recently beating Stevie Morgan with a second-round stoppage. She has held world titles across nine weight classes — a record for a female boxer.
“Legacy is very important,” said Serrano at the Wednesday press conference. “But my goal is to motivate and inspire these young girls, the new generation in this sport, that you can do anything you put your mind to. If you believe in yourself, have a great team, you can go far.
“When I say how much I make, it’s not bragging, it’s to show these women we can make it, we’re capable of making it, we’re capable of breaking records. Just strive for excellence and you will achieve it.”
(Top photo: Timothy A. Clary/ AFP via Getty Images)
