ARLINGTON — A loud and raucous crowd of thousands found refuge from a rainy Thursday inside Texas Live! and brought the noise to a public press conference promoting Jake Paul’s upcoming fight against the legendary Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on July 20.
In a much more fiery affair than Monday’s event in New York — with both sides of the main event hurling expletive-filled insults — the stage has been set for the prize fight at JerryWorld.
Paul (9-1, 6 KOs), the YouTuber-turned-boxer, has reeled in a lot of big fish in his professional career, including a win over UFC legend Nate Diaz at American Airlines Center last August. But the fight with Tyson is his biggest catch yet.
He wants to make sure he doesn’t miss his shot at a legacy victory.
“They say he’s the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet,’ so let’s find out,” Paul said. “Apparently, he’s the final boss. Moving up heavyweight and continuing to prove all these [people] wrong, that’s what I do my whole entire life.”
In early March, Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions announced the blockbuster fight as the headlining matchup of their first-ever partnership. It was the first of many recent steps Netflix has taken into live sports broadcasting. On Wednesday, Netflix announced it would be the live-streaming home this season for the NFL’s Christmas Day games.
The Paul-Tyson fight is expected to be the most viewed boxing event in modern history.
Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs), the legendary former undisputed world heavyweight champion, had his last professional fight in 2005, but exuded confidence with his words, laughing off any negativity Paul tried to throw his way.
“This is just stealing money. I’m up here stealing money fighting [Paul],” Tyson said.
“I started Jake off, and I’m going to finish him.”
In the co-main event, undisputed super lightweight world champion Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) will step back in the ring for one of the most anticipated women’s boxing rematches in history against unified featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs).
“I promise you this fight is going to be so much better,” Serrano said.
“I respect Katie. She’s a great champion. I need a great dance partner, and Katie Taylor is that dance partner. But deep down inside I know I won [the last] fight.”
The pairing fought two years ago in the first-ever women’s headliner at Madison Square Garden where Taylor defeated Serrano by split decision in a bout that garnered global acclaim for both fighters.
“I already believe I’m the best female fighter in the world pound for pound, and I’ll prove it again on July 20,” Taylor said.
Tickets for the event went on sale earlier in the day, with more than 120,000 people registering for pre-sale access, according to Most Valuable Promotions. At the press conference, it was announced that the fight has already garnered the largest recorded gate in state history for any combat sports event.
