Paul vs Tyson LIVE: Latest updates and start time as tension builds for fight night after weigh-in slap

The fight has been met with plenty of criticism and mixed opinions, so what have other figures in the world of boxing said?

Tyson Fury previously said he thinks it’s a “fantastic event”, and that “anyone who don’t think it’s a fantastic event is jealous”, while Anthony Joshua said that he thinks “that [influencer] brings all these people into boxing, which benefits everyone else. Everyone viewing helps.

Current undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk told Paul to “stop boxing” while labelling KSI as simply a “blogger”.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has said that he “won’t be watching the main event. We’ll be there defending the belts, and then I’ll be off”, he added, referring to Katie Taylor’s fight.

Tyson’s former adversary Evander Holyfield said that he will go and watch the fight, and that he expects Tyson to win.

Below, Tyson lays on the canvas after being knocked down by Evander Holyfield in their first fight in 1996.

Holyfield and Tyson lock heads during their rematch, in which the latter was later disqualified for biting. This bout took place in June 1997 - Jake Paul would have been around five months old at the time.

While the fight purses have not been officially disclosed, Paul claimed at a press conference in August: “I’m here to make $40m and knock out a legend.”

$40m equates to roughly £31.1m, while Tyson will earn approximately $20m (£15.4m), according to friend and former UFC champion Henry Cejudo.

With all the talk of ‘scripting’ and the controversy over the age gap, let’s take a look at the odds for the fight.

Across the board, Paul is priced as low as 13/8. Tyson is as high as 2/1 to win, with a draw priced as high as 11/1 with some bookies.

Tyson last fought in 2020, in an exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr that ended in a split-draw decision.

Odds:

Paul – 2/5

Tyson – 12/5

Draw – 9/1

Seems a good time to remind readers of this piece...

It says something that several US states have banned betting on Friday’s fight between boxing’s Mike Tyson and attention’s Jake Paul. You cannot place a bet in New York, for example, or a wager in Colorado, where gaming commissioners are treating the event as something akin to an exhibition. That is despite the fight’s official stamp of approval by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, but then anything goes in Texas.

The fight is dressed up as a professional boxing bout, but it is easy to see why some inside the sport feel uneasy. The two outcomes of a genuinely brutal contest would be: a 27-year-old gym jock beats up a sickly 58-year-old grandfather; or one of the most ruthless boxers of all time knocks out an out-of-depth YouTuber. Either way, the optics aren’t great.

Which is why it’s unlikely either of those things will happen. Both boxers will wear heavy 14oz gloves to slow down hands and cushion impacts, rather than the standard 10oz gloves. The fight will take place across eight two-minute rounds, rather than the usual 12 three-minute rounds. It is officially sanctioned but it is also designed to avoid genuine horror.

The conspiracies are already building ahead of the fight, with the latest social media-led theory surrounding a ‘fight script’ that says Jake Paul will win via KO in the fifth round.

Expect plenty more theories as the fight gets closer!

The details of Mike Tyson’s health scare this year have been revealed in a new documentary about his fight with Jake Paul, after the heavyweight legend “threw up blood” on a plane.

Tyson will box YouTube star Paul on 15 November, but the fight was initially due to take place in July, only to be delayed when “Iron Mike” suffered an ulcer flare-up in May.

Ahead of the rescheduled bout, which will air live on Netflix from the AT&T Stadium in Texas, the streaming platform has released a documentary, Countdown: Paul vs Tyson.

What are the rules?

The fight is scheduled for eight two-minute rounds, and knockouts are allowed.

Contrary to rumours, the boxers will not wear head guards, although their gloves will weigh 14oz – larger than the standard 10oz versions.

Full fight card (subject to change; ‘C’ denotes champion)

Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson (heavyweight)

Katie Taylor (defending C) vs Amanda Serrano 2 (undisputed women’s super-lightweight titles)

Mario Barrios (interim C) vs Abel Ramos (WBC welterweight title)

Shadasia Green vs Melinda Watpool (vacant women’s WBO super-middleweight title)

Lucas Bahdi vs Armando Casamonica (super-lightweight)

Bruce Carrington vs Dana Coolwell (featherweight)

Neeraj Goyat vs Whindersson Nunes (middleweight)

There is no hate, no love, the gloves are big and the rounds will be short when Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight on Friday night.

It makes no difference if the men share fifty million dollars for their carnival night in a Texas ring. It is one of the purest fights for money in the dirty, old boxing game; it’s not personal, it’s just cash. And, lots of it.

Tyson is 58 now, reformed, grey at the edges, his eyes have softened with his belly and each attempt at spitting venom sounds fake. Well, it probably is, so what? He was once Iron Mike, the youngest heavyweight champion in history, so please show some respect.

Paul, in his own unique way, has single-handedly ruined the boxing careers of many UFC stars and exposed them inside the boxing ring as flat-footed swingers; now the former child performer is hunting down faded kings of the ring. It is the unmade Rocky movie with a twist: can the old king beat the young kid? It’s the age-old boxing tale.

It has, obviously, been called a freak show, a meaningless event, a danger to Tyson’s health and a threat to the dignity of boxing, having been rearranged after Tyson suffered a health scare.

But here’s what you don’t understand about the fight...

Read Steve Bunce’s preview in full: