Mike Tyson Interested In Boxing Jake Paul

Let's get it on! Maybe.

Though once considered a laughable suggestion, a Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight may actually happen.

What is it that could entice 55-year-old Iron Mike to finally step into the ring with 25-year-old YouTube superstar Paul? Record-breaking viewership. As it currently stands, the 2015 Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout currently holds the record for pay-per-view buys with 4.6 million. That's a number Iron Mike feels can be surpassed, should he and Paul lace 'em up.

When asked by podcast host and combat sport fanatic Joe Rogan if he'd be willing to challenge the PPV record with Paul, Tyson responded: “Hell yeah, only to break the record."

"Let’s do it, Jakey. God, wouldn’t that be cool?" Tyson rhetorically asked via his podcast - Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson.

Tyson last fought in an exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr. in November of 2020. Despite a lengthy absence from the ring, Tyson displayed his trademark speed and power and maintained his status as one of the most popular athletes of all time. The exhibition bout totaled more than 1.5 million pay-per-view buys.

Going toe-to-toe with Paul would certainly surpass that number, and it's reasonable to suggest that a Tyson-Paul fight would indeed best the Mayweather-Pacquiao total. Not only is Tyson an enormous draw, but Paul brings plenty of eyeballs to anything he does. Paul is 5-0 with four knockouts throughout his pro boxing career and has more than 45 million combined followers between Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

So when Paul tweets, people listen. On Monday, Paul praised Elon Musk for purchasing Twitter, and that tweet alone garnered more than 40,000 interactions in less than 24 hours.

Tyson knows that Paul's massive social media following would have a major impact on any potential fight.

“Jake Paul, believe it or not, is more profitable than the champs. This guy probably brings about 80 million people to the table," said Tyson, via Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson.

Though they've never fought, Iron Mike and Paul have met and spent time together. Those interactions leave Tyson feeling skeptical about any future fight.

“I worry about him getting in trouble before the fight happened,” Tyson added. “I’d tell him, ‘Hey, man, you’re going to go for jail for real. Chill out.’ This dude’s crazy, he would be throwing stuff at people, bottles and stuff.”

In an actual fight, Paul and Tyson stand to break more than just bottles.

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