Jake Paul will return to the boxing ring later TONIGHT (Fri., Nov. 15, 2024), taking on former WBC, WBA, IBF and The Ring Heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson, in an extremely controversial fight scheduled for eight, three-minute rounds from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, streaming exclusively on Netflix. In the co-main event, Katie Taylor will defend her Super Welterweight title against Amanda Serrano in a rematch two years in the making.
What’s Hot:
I am one of the biggest Jake Paul critics around in large part because he is either the biggest troll in the game by wanting to call out Canelo Alvarez and actually thinking he can beat him, or because he truly is that confident to call himself the face of boxing. I’m going with the former. Nevertheless, he has a massive following stemming from his days as a social media star on YouTube, TikTok, Vine and pretty much anything internet-related. He brought his millions of fans over from that space, a lot of whom likely never had interest in combat sports. But since Paul was engaging in this sport it was suddenly cool to them...which isn’t a bad thing. Do I think Paul (27) taking on Tyson (58) is a mockery of the sport? Yes. Will I be tuning in? Yes. And that’s what Paul brings to the table: intrigue, drama, trash-talking, interest, circus-like atmosphere...for better or worse.
Then you bring Tyson into the mix. We all know him as one of the baddest boxers ever thanks to his impressive highlight reel knockouts that dazzled many and scared a few. But let’s not kid ourselves, we are NOT getting THAT “Iron Mike” ... or are we? What we are getting a 58 year-old man with medical problems that torpedoed the original date and had questions if whether or not he would be able to pass a pre-fight physical. Many are calling the fight “unfair,” and I agree. If it were the Tyson of old, Paul would get creamed in one round. Now, Paul will have a chance to “shock the world” against a man who is way past his fighting prime. Paul is fighting the “name,” not the man we once knew. And what’s worse, if he does win he will carry this victory around and boast about it any chance he gets as if it were a true accomplishment. Tyson is as revered as they come in the combat sports world, and this fight will do nothing for his legacy, win or lose, other than give him a nice paycheck.
Tyson hasn’t competed since losing to Danny McBride in June 2005, his second straight defeat. That was nearly two decades ago, and his last win came in 2003. Tyson has a lot of great wins under his belt, but he never secured a staple win over the top dogs such as Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. Paul, on the other hand, lost to the only true and legit boxer he has ever faced in Tommy Fury, and securing wins over the likes of Nate Diaz and Mike Perry aren’t exactly staple wins in the world of boxing. No one has the slightest clue how this fight will play out. Will it actually be a good fight? Will Tyson be throwing bombs? Will he look old an slow? Will Paul pull his punches? Is this staged and nothing more than a glorified sparring session? No one truly knows and that is why people will tune in.
What’s Not:
In a four-round 160-pound bout, Neeraj Goyat battles YouTube sensation, Whindersson Nunes, in what is the former’s second pro bout. This is as big a mismatch if I ever saw one. Nunes barely got into the boxing game in Jan 2022 and has a record of 1-1-1 in exhibition fights against fellow “influencers” and a record of 0-1 as a pro. And while Goyat may not be well-known to most boxing fans, he does have many more fights under his belt with a record of 18-4 with eight knockouts. This one could end ugly.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card:
Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Paul was originally set to face Tyson this past summer, but the fight was scrapped after “Iron Mike” suffered medical complications while on a flight. As a result, the fight was rescheduled for this date, while “The Problem Child” went on to defeat Mike Perry on the original date of July 20 via technical knockout (TKO).
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024
In the main attraction of the undercard, Shadasia Green will face Melinda Watpool in a 10-round championship belt for the vacant WBO super middleweight title. Green is coming off a win over Natasha Spence at the last Jake Paul spectacle event earlier this year, bumping up her record to 14-1, with 11 knockouts. As for Watpool, the 35 year-old Canadian boxer is undefeated at 7-0 with two knockouts on her resume, and will be fighting outside of Canada for the first time in her career.
In a 10-round 135-pound matchup, Lucas Bahdi — who is undefeated at 17-0 — will tango with fellow undefeated fighter (14-0), Armando Casamonica. Bahdi is a knockout machine with 15 stoppages on his resume. The 30 year-old is fighting out of Canada, and fights in the orthodox stance. Casamonica has three knockouts on his resume, but that’s not indicative of just how dangerous he can be. The 24-year old Italian boxer packs plenty of power in his punches, but has also shown he can win drawn-out fights by going the distance and making the fights gritty and tough for his foes. All of his fights have taken place in his home country of Italy, and he will venture outside of the friendly confines of his home turf to fight in America for the first time.
Kicking things off will be Bruce Carrington Jr. and Dana Coolwell, who will throw down in an eight-round, 126-pound bout. Carrington is a speedy striker who has yet to taste defeat, sitting at 13-0 with eight knockouts. The man they call “Shu Shu” is the current North American Boxing Federation featherweight, WBC silver featherweight and WBO Inter-Continental featherweight title holder. Coolwell, meanwhile, has eight knockouts to boast of and the 25-year old Australian will also be fighting in America for the first time in his career. The orthodox boxer is in for a big test here, but can make a name for himself by taking Carrington’s undefeated record.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
It’s safe to say many are waiting for the Jake Paul boxing train to get thrown completely off its tracks. A loss to Tommy Fury didn’t exactly do that, but a knockout loss at the hands of Tyson could be the first and final nail in the coffin for “El Gallo,” who is adamant he will call out Canelo once more. That’s a fight he needs to quit chasing because Alvarez is one of those boxers that would unlikely entertain gimmick fights such as this one, especially if Paul loses in devastating fashion. Paul will be just fine if the money coming in from boxing ever runs dry. That said, if he does lose, then his transition into the MMA world could be around the corner. And that will be another circus in and of itself.
Interest Level: 8/10
Katie Taylor will put her 140-pound title on the line again against Amanda Serrano in a 10 round, super lightweight title fight. Taylor outlasted Serrano in an epic main event on Apr. 30, 2022 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City that left fight fans wanting more. The Irish champion walked away with a razor-thin split-decision to allow her to retain her WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring titles, as well as improving to 21-0 at that time. After coming up short in her bid to win the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring female light-welterweight titles against Chantelle Cameron in May 2023, she eventually won the rematch in Nov. 2023. Now, she will attempt to go two-for-two against Serrano, who is hungry and out for revenge.
Since losing to Taylor, Serrano has gone on to defend her WBC, WBO and IBO female featherweight titles; while capturing the IBF and inaugural The Ring female featherweight belts with a win over Sarah Mahfoud. She is currently on a five-fight win streak and was last seen destroying Stevie Morgan in under two rounds this past summer (see it again here). Now that she has spent time inside the ring against Taylor, Serrano knows what to expect from the Irish slugger, but she also knows that her opponent has improved since their initial encounter. This should prove to be another exciting bout.
In another title fight that should produce fireworks, Mario Barrios will defend his WBC welterweight title against Abel Ramos in a 12-round contest. Barrios is one of the most experienced and established boxers on this card with a pro record of 29-2 with 18 knockouts on his resume. His only two losses came against Gervonta Davis via TKO, and Keith Thurman via unanimous decision. He is currently on a three-fight win streak. As for Ramos, who fights in the orthodox stance, is coming off a big TKO win over Juan Ramon Guzman, which snapped his two-fight losing streak. The 33 year-old American fighter has a huge opportunity to secure the biggest win of his career, though he will have to virtually be perfect this outing to accomplish that feat.
Enjoy the fights!
Full Paul Vs. Tyson Fight Card:
Tyson vs. Paul Netflix Main Event (10 p.m. ET):
Heavyweight: Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul | Eight rounds
Tyson vs. Paul Netflix Undercard (8 p.m. ET):
140 lbs.: Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano | 10 rounds for super lightweight title
147 lbs.: Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos | 12 rounds for WBC welterweight title
160 lbs.: Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes | Four rounds
Tyson Vs. Paul Netflix ‘Prelims’ Lineup (6 p.m. ET):
168 lbs.: Shadasia Green vs. Melinda Watpool | 10 rounds for vacant WBO super middleweight title
135 lbs.: Lucas Bahdi vs. Armando Casamonica | 10 rounds
126 lbs.: Bruce Carrington Jr. vs. Dana Coolwell | Eight rounds
For much more on the upcoming Paul vs. Tyson boxing spectacle click here.
