Jake Paul reveals there were other contenders besides Mike Tyson for the Netflix fight.
(This story was corrected to fix typos.)
Details regarding the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight emerged in stages, with Paul sharing during his podcast, released online Thursday, that there were other potential opponents.
“There had been ongoing talks between our teams,” Paul noted. “It was always about whether they should fight. But we closed the deal.”
Paul was discussing the agreement struck between his company, Most Valuable Promotions, and Netflix, which will host the livestream of the fight set for Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“Netflix said, ‘Go and negotiate with three different opponents,’” Paul mentioned. “We reached out to both Tommy Fury and Mike Tyson.”
Tommy Fury, who is the brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, handed Paul his sole loss by winning their cruiserweight match in February 2023 through a split decision, making the Netflix fight a good opportunity for a rematch.
“Tommy had a huge ego and was asking for way more money than he deserved. He seemed to underestimate his own worth,” Paul explained. “His dad, who acts as his manager, doesn’t have a solid grasp of the current boxing market. They didn’t realize this would be one of the most-watched fights in history.”
“While they were declining, Mike Tyson was on board, and we worked it out with Mike.”
The highly anticipated heavyweight clash between the 58-year-old Tyson and 27-year-old Paul was confirmed back in March, creating a buzz in the fight world.