Eight knockout facts to know about the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight
Tonight's the night for one of the most anticipated and controversial bouts of the year, as ITV News' Graham Stothard reports
Words by ITV Producer Connor Parker
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson aren’t the only ones who have high stakes when they meet in the boxing ring on Friday night.
The headline fight will break numerous world records, raise an awful lot of money and worry a lot of people about the integrity of the sport -as the amateur Paul takes on the ageing Tyson, who is 31 years his opponent's senior.
Regardless of who wins or loses. it will be the biggest boxing event in a generation. Here ITV News has compiled a list of some of the interesting facts behind the fight.
It will likely be the most-watched boxing match in the 21st century
In the past big boxing matches have been offered to viewers via pay-per-view, the price often going as high as £45.
This has often limited the reach the big bouts make, but this time round you only need a Netflix subscription making the cost to watch much lower.
With Netflix having around 280 million subscribers, the reach could surpass that of the previously most viewed fight, the 2105 Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao bout.
There are no global viewing statistics for the 2015 match but it sold 4.6 million pay-per-view tickets in the US and was watched by roughly half the households in the Philippines, Pacquiao's home country.
However, little compares to Muhammad Ali's record with four of his fights in the 70s and 80s having an estimated audience of around one billion each.
Paul and Tyson will make a lot of money
No official figures for how much either of the two boxers will make have been released but there have been some reports suggesting they will make a substantial amount.
Paul has said he expects to make $40m (£31m) from the fight while reports have suggested Tyson will make $20m (£15.5m).
Tyson, who had two stints in prison over convictions in the 1990s for rape and assault and declared bankruptcy 21 years ago, has said he isn’t doing the fight for money.
Analysts expect it to be the most bet-on boxing match in history
Analysts have struggled to predict who will win the match and the bookies are all offering considerably different odds.
The unknown factor of how Tyson will perform appears to be the main difficulty for predictions, how will the former world champion fight when he is decades past his prime? People just don't know.
But this hasn't stopped people from throwing huge sums of money at the game with Tyson emerging victorious currently the most popular bet.
Bookies are also making a tidy profit from it, with BetMGM's Alex Rella telling USA Today he expects the fight to be the most bet-on match in his company's history.
He said: This is the rare fight that transcends different demographics: Tyson supporters, old-school boxing fans that may have tuned out in recent years, Jake Paul haters and casual sports fans that want to be included in the conversation."
Paul seems confident of his victory and went as far as to say during a promotional event for the fight earlier this week he publically agreed with light-welterweight champion Katie Taylor to bet his £31m payout from the match on his victory.
When Taylor suggested he should bet his fight purse on his victory he responded: "Yeah, let's bet the purse" and shook her hand.
The age gap is enormous
58-year-old Tyson is facing off against the 27-year-old Paul, creating a whopping 31-year age difference.
It is thought to be the largest age difference in boxing's history topping the 24 years that separated 25-year-old Mike DiBiase and 49-year-old Archie Moore in the 60s.
The professional gap between the two is also enormous
Tyson was the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987-90. He retired in 2005 after winning 50 fights, 44 by knockout.
Paul in comparison has won nine of 10 fights with six knockouts against mostly undistinguished opponents, including several mixed martial artists and a fellow YouTuber.
Paul has said several times Tyson was the one who wanted to do the fight and Paul said he couldn't turn away from a chance to "fight the GOAT (greatest of all of time) boxing."
It was a struggle to get the match sanctioned
The age difference and Tyson's wide array of health issues contributed to the organisers of the fight struggling to get it sanctioned in states across the US.
Texas approved the fight to be a full professional bout but it will have strict rules.
The fight will have eight two-minute rounds compared to the standard three-minute rounds.
The boxer's gloves will also weigh slightly more than usual to reduce the power of each punch.
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The coverage will also feature the 'most lucrative female sporting event in history'
Before the headline match, there will be several other fights to keep the viewers entertained.
The live stream starts at 1am GMT. but Paul and Tyson are not expected to enter the ring until 4am, in the meantime a high-profile championship fight is on the card - the co-main event of Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano.
Paul said he wanted to give the women a spotlight after their slugfest at sold-out Madison Square Garden in 2022. It was the first time women headlined a boxing event at the famous venue.
Taylor won a split decision that many questioned.
Paul has previously said the rematch for the undisputed super lightweight title will be the most lucrative women’s sporting event in history.
Taylor will reportedly earn $6.1m (£4.8m) from the fight and Serrano is expected to take home around $8m (£6.3m).
That is a dramatic increase for Serrano who was once paid just over £1,000 for winning a world title defence.
Someone spent $2m on a ticket
While some seats at the 80,000-capacity AT&T stadium are going for as little as £53 the organisers have offered a $2m (£1.6m) VIP package for six people.
For that eyewatering sum, you get access to all of the fights happening throughout the week, a set of autographed gloves from Paul and Tyson, a personal escort and a two-night stay at a top hotel, a pre-fight tour of the locker room, and of course the best seats in the house.
The tickets were brought by TorkLaw, a law firm based in LA.
Korosh Torkzadeh, a partner at the firm, told USA Today: "Life and sport often reflect each other in their unpredictability. At TorkLaw, as we spend our days fighting for our clients both inside and outside the courtroom, we see in boxing the same determination required to face life’s toughest battles.
"Our involvement in this event is more than just support for sport - it’s a celebration of the human spirit and the strength it takes to keep fighting, no matter the odds."
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