Jake Paul asks Boxing Commission to make major ‘U-TURN’ ahead of Mike Tyson fight | HO

Jake Paul asks Boxing Commission to make major ‘U-turn’ ahead of Mike Tyson fight

Jake Paul has asked the Boxing Commission to make a major U-turn ahead of his fight with Mike Tyson.

Last month it was announced that YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul would take on 57-year-old former unified heavyweight champion Tyson in a boxing match at the AT&T Arena in Texas on July 20.

Paul, 27, has just 10 competitive fights to his name, mostly against former UFC stars, while Tyson was once the youngest heavyweight champion in history and the first person to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles.

Since the announcement there has been much speculation regarding the rules and status of the bout.

Many have suggested that due to the age gap, the fight will take place under exhibition rules with both men wearing protective headgear and 18-ounce gloves.

Tyson, meanwhile, admitted that though the flight will be recognised as an exhibition, he vowed, while speaking to Fox News, that the action inside the ring will still deliver for the millions of fans expected to tune in on Netflix.

“This is called an exhibition, but if you look up exhibition, you won’t see any of the laws we’re fighting under,” Tyson said. “This is a fight. I don’t think he’s faster than me. I’ve seen a YouTube video of him at 16 doing weird dancing.

“That’s not the guy I’m fighting. This is a guy who’s going to try and hurt me, which I’m accustomed to, and he’s going to be greatly mistaken.”

Jake Paul wants his fight to have professional status (Getty)

Paul has now claimed that he is making a request to the boxing commission for the fight to be given professional rather than exhibition status.

Speaking to Fox News he said: “It’s so annoying that people on the Internet will believe anything they see or hear. There’s been so much misinformation.

“Mike and I want this to be a pro fight, full face shots. We’re submitting that request to the commission. It’s an all-out war.

“There’s been all these fake videos about not being able to hit each other, big gloves, all of that stuff, and it’s all, as Trump would say, fake news.”

How much will Mike Tyson and Jake Paul make for fighting each other on Netflix? THE NUMBERS SHOCK YOU | HO

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul are preparing to face each other in what promises to be one of the biggest and most controversial fights of the year.

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Tyson, 57, will return to the ring to face Paul, 27, in a boxing match on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The fight is set to be an exhibition, although YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul revealed earlier this month that he still has hopes of getting the bout sanctioned as fully professional.

The fight has certainly divided opinion, with some in the boxing world concerned for Tyson’s safety.

However, the former heavyweight champion has hit out at critics of the fight, claiming they’re “jealous” of how much interest the event has generated.

How much could Tyson and Paul make from the fight?

While the respective purses are yet to be publicly released, Paul has said in the past he believes a fight with Tyson could generate $300m (£234m).

“I joke with my friends about it,” Paul said while appearing on The Journey Podcast. “I’m like, ‘I’ll start eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts and move up to heavyweight and take on Mike Tyson.’

“That would actually excite me and that’s a $300m event. So, Mike if you’re watching this let’s have some fun. New school vs old school, I think that’s something the fans would want to see.”

While Paul’s estimation could be overly ambitious, UFC legend Henry Cejudo has claimed Tyson could make $20m from the fight.

How much does the fight cost to watch?

Tyson vs Paul will be the main event of a card that will air on Netflix, instead of a typical pay-per-view channel.

Nevertheless, a paid subscription for Netflix will be required to watch the fight.

A standard subscription plan in the UK costs £10.99 a month.

Who is on the undercard?

On Tuesday, the first undercard fight for the event was announced by Paul.

He revealed that Amanda Serrano, managed by his promotional company Most Valuable Promotions, will face Katie Taylor in a rematch of their 2022 fight, which ended in a split decision win for the Irish fighter.

The rematch will be contested for the undisputed super lightweight championship, with Taylor putting all of her super lightweight belts on the line.

It remains the only undercard fight to be officially announced.