The upcoming bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul this summer has everyone talking, and that includes one of the latter boxer's biggest critics. UFC top brass Dana White is sharing his thoughts on the matchup, which will stream for those with Netflix subscriptions, making it obvious he's not necessarily thrilled to see it. That said, he certainly understands why Paul is doing the fight, and why it's getting the hype, explaining as much in a recent interview.
Months ahead of fans tuning in live to see Tyson vs. Paul in July 2024, Dana White appeared on the Pound 4 Pound podcast and spoke about that upcoming event and more. White has a contentious relationship with the young fighter, having been subjected to Paul's trolling in the past, and he even provided some hot takes when Paul challenged UFC great Conor McGregor. Given that, it's no surprise he's not wowed or excited by the fight's existence. Perhaps surprisingly, White expressed disappointment that Mike Tyson would take this kind of offer at his age, saying:
I love Mike, and I hate talking about this because he always gets mad at me when I talk about this stuff. I’m not thrilled to see him do this stuff. When the fight happens, he’ll be 58 years old. It’ll be a 31-year age difference between these two.
Mike Tyson looks great in his training videos, but there's no denying the impact of Father Time. He certainly won't be in his prime in the ring, and I think Dana White might be worried about the fighter harming his legacy with a loss just for a payday. Or, perhaps White is more concerned about Jake Paul raising his fighter profile with a win over a boxing legend and further elevating fan interest in the sport in a way that could rival the UFC. Of course, Tyson below his prime is still more dangerous than many people at their best, so it won't be an easy win.
While Dana White may not agree with the circumstances of the fight, he understands why Jake Paul is willing to take on Mike Tyson. Whether or not it's actually a fair or sensible fight isn't a factor when it comes to the fight purse, which seems like it could be substantial. White continued:
What Jake wants is Jake wants to make money. The people that follow Jake Paul don’t buy Jake Paul’s fights, so Jake Paul has to fight people who can actually sell pay-per-views.
If Dana White is accurate about Paul's most loyal followers not going the full nine yards to purchase the pay-per-views he's headlining, then it's a good thing that this one will be available for Netflix subscribers without any additional buy-ins. All streamers are seemingly taking a heavy interest in broadcasting more live events, and if this bout is a hit, it could be the first of many future Jake Paul bouts on streaming platforms.
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are set to square off on Saturday, July 20th, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Specific stipulations for the bout have not been discussed yet, though Paul did have to dismiss rumors that he'd be allowed to use headgear, and also denied that he'd be tag-teaming with his brother and WWE United States Champion Logan Paul.
While Dana White may have his doubts about the fight, there's a lot of interest and debate about whether or not Mike Tyson's phenomenal boxing skills can trump whatever he's lost in age to the younger Jake Paul. For Paul, this will be yet another opportunity with the world watching for him to further prove he's a legitimate professional fighter, though critics would say facing an elder boxing legend and retired UFC stars rather than a contemporary would show he's a far cry from contending for actual boxing accolades.
Regardless of where readers stand on Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, I'm sure many will be tuning in this summer to watch the bout on Netflix. CinemaBlend will be tracking the major moments and smack talk that occurs in the months leading up to the big fight, and what others in the fighting world have to say about the big match.
