Mike Tyson is involved in one of the most anticipated fights of the decade? What year is it? What century is it?

Tyson will face Jake Paul on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight will be streamed on Netflix, a notable milestone as the streaming company continues to expand its sports coverage. But this isn’t about a streaming giant, this is about finding out whether or not a 58-year-old former heavyweight champion, whose best years were three or four decades ago, can take down a controversial 27-year-old whose main livelihood isn’t through boxing.

Paul is often described as a YouTuber turned professional boxer. When Tyson last fought professionally in 2005, YouTube existed, but it hadn’t even received its first round of funding.

This fight has already been postponed from its original date of July 20, which has created a number of skeptics who still think there will be some shenanigans surrounding tonight’s fight.

Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul

• Ring running times: Main card starts at 8:00 PM ET
• How to watch: Stream on Netflix
• Location: AT&T Stadium

Follow our live blog Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul for more information about this fight.

Paul is favored to win, opening at -275 on BetMGM, but the odds were mixed, with Tyson a popular bet. On Friday morning, Paul is at -200 to win, but on Thursday evening those chances were even smaller. On the other hand, Tyson is currently +190 to win. According to BetMGM, 69 percent of bets on the fight are on Tyson winning.

“We have written more bets on the fight than any NFL game currently on the board,” said Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata (a BetMGM operation in Atlantic City). “We have made a few bigger bets on Paul, but the vast majority of tickets are on Tyson.”

What would make Tyson such a popular bet? Tyson last won a professional fight in 2003. He was one of the best boxers of his generation and one of the biggest names in the sport in recent decades, but he also saw a sharp decline towards the end of his career. Tyson’s 37-0 start ended in 1990 with his famous loss to Buster Douglas. His most famous fights might have been against Evander Holyfield. Paul was born between those fights, five months before Tyson infamously bit Holyfield’s ear during their rematch.

Tyson has lost three of the last four fights of his career, including losses to Danny Williams and Kevin McBride, among others. If you know who Williams and McBride are, it must be no fun to compete against in sports trivia. Tyson was far from his best boxing career twenty years ago. What will he be like now?

Meanwhile, Paul is slowly building a boxing resume, although most of his professional fights are against former MMA fighters with little boxing experience and even a fight against former NBA player Nate Robinson. If you think Tyson will win, you don’t think Paul is a real boxer and are probably pointing to the lack of good opposition on his record. One note to keep in mind: Paul has never fought at heavyweight before.

In typical boxing fashion, the pre-fight press conference generated some drama and attention. Tyson, looking pretty fit for what it’s worth, punched Paul on stage.

Mike Tyson punched Jake Paul at the weigh-in before their fight 😳

🎥 @netflix | #PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/ZoiXUoiILw

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 15, 2024

Many people would like to punch Paul, which could be a big reason why Tyson is receiving so many bets. Paul has built an audience as an influencer, but he also has many critics.

This fight lasts no longer than eight rounds and each round lasts two minutes.

(Photo credit: Brett Carlsen / Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)