It’s the boxing event of the summer and an absolute sports highlight on Netflix. Only the streaming service Netflix broadcasts the boxing fight between Jack Paul and Mike Tyson live. This is what you need to know.
Location and time
The spectacle will take place on July 20, 2024 at the AT&T Stadium Arlington football stadium in Dallas. The exact time has not yet been determined, but observers expect it to start around 10 p.m. local time. In Germany it would then be 5 a.m. on July 21st. Tip: The best alarm clocks for the bedside table in 2024.
The stadium can hold 100,000 to 105,000 spectators, but for the boxing match it will only accommodate 80,000 spectators.
Shortened rounds and heavier gloves
Instead of the usual 3 minutes, a round in this boxing match only lasts 2 minutes. As usual, there is a one-minute break between rounds. The fight lasts eight rounds.
The gloves are unusually heavy at 16 ounces (453.59 grams), whereas 10-ounce gloves (283.50 grams) would actually be normal. The larger/heavier gloves are better padded and therefore better protect the health of both opponents. This makes knockout victories more difficult, but in this case a knockout is actually the goal.
Only KO counts, no scoring
Unlike other boxing fights, there are no judges! The victory is therefore by knockout. Otherwise the boxing fight ends in a draw.
Here’s how to watch the fight live
Free TV will not broadcast the boxing fight and Sky or DAZN will not show the fight either. Only Netflix will broadcast the fight live. If you want to watch the fight between the young challenger without a title and the boxing pensioner and ex-champion of all world boxing associations live, you have to take out a Netflix subscription.
Netflix does not offer a free trial month. But you can cancel the subscription immediately after one month.
Netflix currently offers three subscription models in Germany:
Who are the opponents?
The now 57-year-old Tyson (born in 1966) has not fought since he took on Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition fight in November 2020, the exhibition fight at that time ended in a draw. Tyson will be 58 years old on June 30th. Tyson won 50 of his 58 professional fights, 44 of which were by knockout. Tyson is 178 cm tall and has a reach of 180 cm. His boxing style was very aggressive (“Iron” Mike), although at his best Tyson was very agile in order to avoid opponent’s punches.
Unlike his challenger, Tyson collected world titles from all three world associations. Tyson’s impressive sporting career was always overshadowed by scandals, be it allegations of rape (a court sent Tyson behind bars in 1992) or gross unsportsmanlike conduct: In the famous fight against Evander Holyfield, Tyson bit off a piece of his opponent’s right ear.
Paul is 27 years old, 30 years younger. Paul has won nine out of ten professional fights, six of which were by knockout. However, Paul won against rather insignificant opponents and has not yet won a single title. So Paul is by no means a boxing icon, but a video producer and actor who decided in 2018 to start boxing. Paul has been a professional boxer since 2020.
Paul boxes at cruiserweight, which is below heavyweight. Tyson, on the other hand, was a champion in the heavyweight division. Paul is 185 cm tall and his reach is listed as 193 cm.
Why are the two of them boxing against each other?
So it’s a – at the time of the fight – 58-year-old multiple former champion boxing against a 27-year-old untitled newcomer. Just why? Well, the answer is probably simple: Because it involves a lot of money.
How high is the prize money?
There is talk of 300 million US dollars, possibly even more. The amount of the prize money has not yet been officially announced, the 300 million is a statement from Paul. In addition, it is not known exactly how much the winner will be paid and how much the loser will get.
Just a show fight and not a professional fight and not a world title
The sporting value of this duel is low, the whole thing is just for entertainment. For a long time it was not certain whether the fight would even be considered a professional fight. It is now clear: This boxing fight will in fact not count as a professional fight. It is therefore purely a show fight with no sporting value.
