Mike Tyson returns to boxing at age 58 to face YouTuber

North American Mike Tyson, one of the world’s greatest boxing legends, will return to the ring to face compatriot Jake Paul, a 27-year-old YouTuber, Netflix, which will broadcast the fight, said.

The former American athlete, who turns 58 three weeks before the fight, retired from the sport in 2005.

It is not yet known whether this will be an official or exhibition fight, but it will take place in Texas, in the United States of America, on July 20 this year.

Jake Paul became famous thanks to the videos he shared online before dedicating himself to boxing. In the ring, he has nine wins in ten fights, most of them over former UFC fighters, the BBC reports. The only defeat was last year, in February, from the British Tommy Fury.

“My goal is to become a world champion. Now I have the opportunity to prove myself against the greatest champion of all time, the most dangerous fighter in history. It’s time to put Mike to sleep,” Jake wrote on X (previously on Twitter).

Tyson became the first fighter to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles (three different martial arts organizations) in 1987. His reign as an undefeated fighter ended in 1990 when he lost to Buster Douglas in one of the biggest surprise finishes in the sport.

The athlete regained the WBA and WBC titles in 1996, after which he lost successively to Evander Holyfield. The last fight between them became memorable because Tyson bit off part of his opponent’s ear.

Outside the ring, the fighter’s life was associated with several contradictions. In 1992, he was accused of rape and served three years of a six-year prison sentence. Seven years later he was back in prison for robbery.

In 2020, he returned to competition to face former world champion Roy Jones Jr.

The fight between Tyson and Jake will take place in a stadium in Texas that can accommodate 80 thousand people.