Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Early Odds and Prediction
YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul is preparing to return to the ring to face former undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. The bout is slated to go down on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The opening odds were released shortly after this was declared an officially sanctioned fight. Paul opened as a -185 favourite to win on the boxing odds, while Tyson is a +135 underdog.
Paul vs. Tyson opening odds
The opening odds for this fight are intriguing because there’s two very different ways you could look at this. On one hand you have one of the greatest boxers of all time in Tyson, but on the other hand you have 27-year-old Paul in his prime up against a fighter who turns 58-years-old in June.
‘Iron Mike’ hasn’t fought professionally since 2005 and he hasn’t won a fight since 2003. Meanwhile, ‘The Problem Child’ is 9-1 with six knockouts since his professional boxing debut in 2020 and he’s won three straight fights since last August. Paul’s only career loss was a tight split decision against Tommy Fury in February 2023.
This fight is standard practice for Paul, whose boxing career looks more impressive on paper than it really is. Let’s be honest, Paul has continually cherrypicked opponents like YouTuber KSI and former NBA player Nate Robinson. He’s also faced aging UFC fighters Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz, who were all well out of their prime. Paul lost against Fury, the only legitimate boxer he has faced, and Fury is nowhere close to the level of his heavyweight champion older brother Tyson.
Sanctioned fight
A lot is being made of Paul vs. Tyson being classified as a sanctioned fight. As a sanctioned fight, it will obviously need to follow professional boxing standards and the result will go on both fighters’ professional boxing records. It will be contested at heavyweight and because it is a sanctioned event, each fighter can knockdown or knockout their opponent while no headgear will be worn.
Rather than standard three minute rounds, however, the bout will be eight two-minute rounds. The deviation is likely taking into account Tyson’s age. Tyson and Paul will also use 14-ounce gloves which are closer to training gloves in terms of weight, not the 10-ounce gloves normally used.
Sanctioning Paul vs. Tyson has created a bit of debate as it questions the integrity of the sport, an issue that repeatedly comes up when Paul fights. Boxing purists are arguing that the fight is more of a spectacle than a legitimate competition. They also worry that the emphasis is solely on profit instead of athleticism.
The Problem Child vs. Iron Mike
Jake Paul
- Age: 27
- Fights: 10
- Wins: 9
- Losses: 1
- No contests: 0
- Knockouts: 6
- Height: 6′ 1″
- Reach: 76″
- Instagram followers: 26.5M
Mike Tyson
- Age: 57 (58 by time of fight)
- Fights: 58
- Wins: 50
- Losses: 6
- No contests: 2
- Knockouts: 44
- Height: 5′ 10″
- Reach: 71″
- Instagram followers: 28.5M
Paul vs. Tyson early prediction
This is a bizarre matchup and it’s tough to predict how competitive the fight will even be. Still, I think it’s safe to side with Paul. He simply doesn’t take fights he has a chance to lose.
Paul has the edge in age, stamina and power. He’ll be able to maintain a higher pace and his punching power will do real damage to a man who was heavyweight champion of the world almost a decade before Paul was born.
We’re taking Paul to win by knockout.
