Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson. The Problem Child vs. Iron Mike. A young social media star with modest experience facing off against a fighter once known worldwide as “the baddest man on the planet.”

It has been described by experts as everything from an “indictment on boxing” to a “competitive fight” and the novelty value of the fight Friday between the YouTube influencer and a boxing legend Tyson is undeniable.

But there are questions over the contest: not least, whether it should ever have been sanctioned in the first place.

Tyson, who in 1986 became the youngest heavyweight champion in history at just 20, was known for a ferocious fighting style and racked up a string of first round knockouts before retiring in 2005 with a tally of 50 wins and 6 losses.

Paul’s boxing resumé, by contrast, features just one professional boxer, to whom he lost. His 10 victories have tended to come against aging specialists of other combat sports, such as mixed martial arts

However, Tyson, now 58, and after a hiatus of nearly two decades, will be facing off against an athlete 31 years his junior.

Were Tyson, or indeed Paul, to be seriously hurt, sanctioning body the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation will have serious questions to answer.

Following a ceremonial weigh-in for the heavyweight contest Thursday, after a year of promotional tours and intense media speculation, the two met face to face.

Tyson, whose career was punctuated by controversies such as biting off a chunk of his opponent’s ear, slapped Paul before being restrained by security.

“Talking’s over,” he told a nearby journalist.

What time is Jake Paul Vs. Mike Tyson?

The contest will take place on Friday evening in the AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, home to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.

Paul vs. Tyson will stream live exclusively on Netflix, with the main card scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET, and the fight between Paul and Tyson following three other matches.

Before the headliner takes place, viewers will be able to watch the following matchups: Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes, Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos, and Katie Taylor vs. unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano, a rematch following their first contest in 2022.

What are the rules?

While the fight, sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, is a professional contest, there are major caveats that distinguish it from a regular heavyweight matchup.

Tyson and Paul will wear 14-ounce gloves, rather than 10-ounce gloves as is standard for heavyweight fights.

The fight will take place over 10 rounds rather than 12, each of which will be only two minutes long instead of three.

In the event that neither achieves a knockout, which is permitted, three ringside judges will score the contest on the 10-point-must scoring system.

What do Boxing Experts Make of the Contest?

Lou DiBella

Lou DiBella is an American boxing promoter, who has represented Hall of Fame boxers like Bernard Hopkins, and organized events featuring super lightweight Regis Prograis, lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. and former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

DiBella told Newsweek that he would tune in but didn’t consider it a professional fight.

“I’m happy for Mike that he’s getting a big bag, but I hate the way this is being perceived as some real test, some real – you know – can Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson?” DiBella said. “No, this is not ‘can Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson?’. It’s ‘can Jake Paul beat a 58-year-old Mike Tyson who didn’t have anything in the tank 20 years ago?’.

“Can Jake Paul beat a guy that’s old enough to beat his dad with years to spare?”

DiBella said he was concerned that the fight would normalize young, inexperienced athletes trying to make a name for themselves by taking on older icons of the sport.

“I don’t believe it’s going to be this week, but one of these days someone’s going to get really hurt doing this kind of stuff,” he said.

Describing Paul as a “physically big guy,” DiBella also criticized the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for sanctioning the bout.

“I think what I’m most troubled by is the fact that people couldn’t at least agree that this is an exhibition (match), that this is being sanctioned as a real professional boxing match, it’s an indictment of boxing.”

Thomas C. Hauser

Thomas Hauser is an American author and boxing historian, who has written over thirty books about the sport.

“I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now,” Hauser said, when asked what he thought when the Paul vs. Tyson fight was first announced.

Hauser said that he was concerned for Tyson’s health, believed the fight never should have been sanctioned, and that the former heavyweight champion had only agreed to the contest for “ego and money.”

“In the end, it will further marginalize serious boxing,” he added.

Jim Lampley

Jim Lampley is an American sportscaster, who has covered boxing for nearly forty years, and now co-hosts the viewer chat on PPV.COM’s live boxing events.

The first network boxing match Lampley called, for ABC Sports in 1986, was Mike Tyson vs. Jesse Ferguson.

Lampley said he didn’t know who Jake Paul was when the fight first got announced, but was sure the event would nevertheless be a success as “there is still a broad constituency who will pay to see Mike do anything Mike wants to do.”

“Every boxing match presents the possibility of physical damage,” Lampley told Newsweek, when asked how he felt about the fighters’ relative ages. “For a man (Tyson’s) age, the concern goes up.

“He is a friend and I hope he doesn’t get hurt.”

However, Lampley said that part of what makes this contest a “saleable event” was the fact that Mike could pull off the upset, telling Newsweek: “There is a reason for Jake to be concerned too.”

“‘Should have’ left town a long time ago,” Lampley said, when asked whether the contest should have been sanctioned. “look at the world we are living in. There is no longer any ‘should have.'”

Cliff Bura

Cliff Bura is the founder and CEO of Diesel Gym London, a combat sports gym in the U.K. which trains fighters in Mixed Martial Arts. A notable Bura protégé, John Hathaway, compiled a 7-2 record in the Ultimate Fighting Championship between 2009 and 2014.

Bura said that the Paul vs. Tyson contest had become such a big spectacle because it is a “competitive fight.”

“You’ve got someone who’s an elite boxer, a legendary boxer, against someone who’s up-and-coming,” Bura told Newsweek. “That’s where entertainment comes from. That’s where the thrills come from.”

In terms of pure entertainment, Bura said that the fight should “100 percent” go ahead. While he admitted that, in principle, Tyson’s age warranted some concern, he argued that the contest – between “two grown adults making their own decisions” – was not the dangerous circus that many had billed it as.

He said that Mike had suffered relatively little head trauma for a heavyweight fighter of his tenure, thanks to his signature bobbing-and-weaving style, and that the contest being fought at heavyweight reduced any additional risks caused by weight cutting.

On whether Tyson would be able to carry forward this style to the age of 58, Bura said that Tyson’s legs, on which both his power and agility rely, “are still strong.”

“He’s still bouncing up and down. He doesn’t seem to have any problems with his knees or anything like that.”

In addition, Bura was reassured by Netflix promoting the event, given that the multi-billion dollar company will inevitably have taken all necessary precautions, such as brain scans and physical assessments of both fighters before they enter the ring..

Like any fighter, Bura said that Tyson has “a puncher’s chance” to beat Paul, and that this boxing axiom holds doubly for the former champion.

“Michael always had that, and had that more than (most) in spades.”

Bura responded to the notion that Tyson was taking part in the fight due to financial difficulties, and that these had forced him out of retirement.

“Mike has got revenue streams coming out through his ears, right? I think from his cannabis sales to podcasts to, you know, personal appearances,” Bura said. “I don’t think he necessarily needs the money. I think he’s driven by something else.”

Bura also praised the “fantastic” inclusion of Taylor and Serrano on the main card of the massive event, which he said will bring even more eyes to women’s boxing.

Mike Silver

Mike Silver is a boxing historian and author of the 2014 book The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science.

“I was saddened when I first heard that a 58 year old Tyson was fighting Jake Paul,” Silver said. “It cannot be considered a normal boxing match because of the age difference and I have my doubts that it will be legitimate.

“I would not be surprised if it’s somewhat scripted in advance so that no one gets hurt.”

“I must admit like everyone else I am curious as to the outcome,” Silver added. “Tyson has always been a charismatic individual and a destructive force in the ring—but that was over twenty years ago!”

As well as the age difference, Silver said his concerns over the contest were heightened by Tyson’s health scare in May.

“The fight should never have been sanctioned – Too many unknowns, especially as regards Tyson,” he said. “Fifty –eight is too old to engage in a legitimate prize fight against a much younger foe who has some boxing skills even though at the amateur level.”

Nevertheless, Silver said not to count out Tyson, who may still possess a vestige of the punching power which defined his “destructive” prime.

“The Tyson of 2000 would have put Paul in the hospital and the match would never be allowed. The 58 year old Tyson’s best chance is to nail him with his best punch—either body or head—in the first or second round.”

When asked for the impact this fight will have on the world of boxing, Silver said it “will depend on how the fight turns out.”

“If it’s a scripted phony fight the public will be turned off to the sport. If it is exciting and competitive it’s good for boxing. It will result in new fans. If it is a resounding win for either fighter, providing no one is hurt badly, it will also be good for boxing.”

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