No, Mike Tyson Is Not Fighting Jake Paul, Representative Says

Topline

Legendary boxer Mike Tyson won’t be stepping into the ring with social media star Jake Paul, a representative for the former champion told Forbes, shooting down a rumor sparked by tabloid reports claiming the two were planning a showdown in Las Vegas later this year. 

Key Facts

Jo Mignano, a representative for Tyson, called the reports “totally false” and said the 55-year-old heavyweight “thinks the Paul brothers are great but isn’t nor will he fight either one of them.” 

Monday, tabloid The Sun claimed an associate of Tyson’s said the former boxer and  Paul, 25, were in “advanced talks” to headline a nearly $50 million pay-per-view fight. 

Last week, Forbes named Paul the second-highest earning YouTuber of 2021, with 90% of his $45 million earnings coming from his boxing bouts with top athletes like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. 

Paul’s older brother Logan Paul, 26, who was the ninth top-earning YouTuber with $18 million, was also rumored to have a fight with Tyson in the works.

Paul has not yet responded to Forbes’ request for comment. 

Big Number

20.4 million. That’s how many subscribers Jake Paul has on YouTube. 

Key Background

Last year, Logan Paul fought Floyd Mayweather in what was one of the most popular pay-per-view events of the year, garnering over 1 million buys, according to MMAFighting.com (the fight was an exhibition, so no winner was named, though ESPN scored it for Mayweather, 78-74). Jake Paul won all three of his fights last year, and most of his YouTube content now focuses on his boxing career. Tyson last stepped into the ring in 2020 when he fought Roy Jones Jr. (another exhibition that led to a split decision). Tyson has a longstanding relationship with the Paul brothers and has appeared on Logan’s podcast “Impaulsive.” 

Further Reading

The Highest-Paid YouTube Stars: MrBeast, Jake Paul And Markiplier Score Massive Paydays (Forbes) 

Pivoting From YouTube To Boxing, Jake Paul Earned $40 Million In The Ring In 2021 (Forbes)