Mike Tyson says meeting with Jake Paul is exhibition but 'this is a fight'

The Mike Tyson-Jake Paul bout on July 20 will be an exhibition, not a sanctioned bout.

That clarification came from Tyson, who added that because it’s an exhibition doesn’t necessarily mean it will be fun and games. He said he and his young opponent will be all business in the ring.

“This is called an exhibition, but if you look up ‘exhibition’ you will not see any of the rules will be fighting under. This is a fight,” Tyson said, per Fox News.

Tyson, who will be 58 on June 30, and Paul, a 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer, will meet on pay-per-view from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the 80,000-seat home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Tyson was last in the ring in April 2020, when he and Roy Jones Jr. engaged in an exhibition.

The former heavyweight champion weighed 220 pounds for that fight. Paul has been fighting as a cruiserweight, with a limit of 200.

Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) hasn’t taken part in an official bout since June 2005, when he was stopped by journeyman Kevin McBride. He retired shortly afterward.

Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) is coming off back-to-back first-round knockouts, against Andre August in December and Ryan Bourland in March.