The Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight on July 20 will be an exhibition, not a sanctioned bout.
That clarification came from Tyson, who added that because it’s an exhibition doesn’t necessarily mean it will be fun and games. He said he and his young opponent will have all the work in the ring.
“This is called an exhibition, but if you look up the word ‘exhibition’ you won’t see any rules that will have to be followed. This is a war,” Tyson said, according to Fox News.
Tyson, who will be 58 on June 30, and Paul, a 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer, will meet on pay-per-view from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home to 80,000 Dallas Cowboys seats.
The last time Tyson was in the ring was in April 2020, when he and Roy Jones Jr. Participate in an exhibition.
The former heavyweight champion weighed 220 pounds for that fight. Paul competed in the cruiserweight division, with a 200 limit.
Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) has not participated in an official fight since June 2005, when he was stopped by journeyman Kevin McBride. He retired soon after.
Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) is coming off back-to-back first-round knockouts, taking on Andre August in December and Ryan Bourland in March.
