A month away from Jake Paul and Mike Tyson's big boxing match, both fighters are prepping for the most talked-about combat sports event ion the 2024 TV schedule. Suffice it to say, many will be watching with their Netflix subscription to see if experience can overcome age, as one of boxing's biggest legends will take on a scrappy fighter decades younger. Much has already been said about what Paul stands to lose if he gets knocked out, but his manager recently drove home how stickily important a subject that is.
With no backup plan in place once again, both fighters seem healthy and primed to square off at AT&T Stadium on November 15th. Jake Paul's manager, Nakisa Bidarian, spoke to THR about what Mike Tyson has to gain while also noting what Paul stands to lose:
For Mike Tyson, this is his opportunity for redemption. … People remember his last fight with Jones, sitting on a stool and not getting back up. Imagine, for all those people who want to see Jake Paul get knocked out, if Mike Tyson at 58 comes back and knocks out Jake Paul, he’ll be revered for the rest of his days. He put an end to this YouTuber’s reign.
Much has been said about what Jake Paul stands to gain by taking this fight with Mike Tyson. Fellow YouTuber and part-time boxer KSI noted it's a lose-lose situation for Paul, whose legacy will become beating grizzled veterans way older than him, or the guy who couldn't defeat a legend way older than him.
A loss would certainly derail Jake Paul's plan to petition for a title shot opportunity in professional boxing, but it feels a tad dramatic for Nikasa Bidarian to say a loss would "end" the fighter's reign. Paul already lost to Tommy Fury, the brother of boxing champion Tyson Fury, back in 2023.
The bout proved to some critics that while Paul has shown overwhelming dominance in knocking out former UFC champions and boxers past their prime, facing someone of comparable age and weight is still a challenge for him. Perhaps, as Bidarian implies, defeating Mike Tyson will open some doors for him:
Now, if Jake does knock out Mike Tyson, sure, there will be a lot of people who are mad. But there’s also going to be a lot more opportunities for him in the world of boxing.
I would also argue he's in for a substantial challenge against Mike Tyson, who looks like the most dangerous 58-year-old on the planet. Tyson requested shorter rounds to account for his stamina loss so he could throw more punches. Tyson has a reputation as one of the heaviest hitters in boxing history, but we'll see how hard he's hitting after bouncing back from his recent health scare.
My biggest question following this fight is what will come next for Netflix if it's as big of an event as it seems to be. During one-off events, will we get future fights with Jake Paul or other big names on the platform? With the platform acquiring WWE's Monday Night Raw in 2025 and some NFL games, it seems there is a big push for it to obtain live content, so I would love to see what other big fights could be scheduled in the coming years.
Tune in to Netflix on Friday, November 15th, to see who will prevail in Paul vs. Tyson. I keep bouncing back and forth about who I think will win between the two fighters, so I know I will clear my schedule to see who will come out on top.
