Top influencer boxer Jake Paul fights the legendary Mike Tyson on Friday, and I am embarrassed to admit just how excited I am for this. 

The fight was originally scheduled for July 20, but had to be postponed after a medical scare for Tyson on an airplane, which was later diagnosed as an ulcer flare-up.

Between these two dates, Paul hosted a surprisingly exciting fight against former UFC fighter Mike Perry, who had gained a little bit of fame for his success in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Paul was named victorious by way of a technical knockout in the sixth round, as a swollen and beaten Perry just couldn’t proceed.

Paul vs. Tyson comes with a fair amount of warranted criticism. Tyson is 58 years old. His last competitive fight was in 2005. In a 2020 exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. that ended in a draw, Tyson looked slow and like an older man that did not take the fight seriously. His fight against Paul will take place without headgear. 

This fight with Paul will be different from your normal celebrity face-off, as it’s an actual sanctioned fight that will count on professional records. 

This doesn’t feel like Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather, which was a clear money grab. Don’t get me wrong, this is a massive money grab as well. It’ll be a huge spectacle at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. While 80,000 can fit inside of that building, millions will watch this freak show live on Netflix.

It’s another live event for Netflix, who impressed during their Labor Day broadcast of Joey Chestnut vs. Takeru Kobayashi. It’ll be interesting to see what Netflix can do with a combat sports broadcast. Another reason to be excited.

But everyone will be interested in seeing what happens in the ring. Now 27 years old, Paul has taken the world of combat sports by storm. He’s knocked out former UFC stars like Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren. He’s battled older legends like Anderson Silva before. Prior to announcing his fight with Iron Mike, he was beating up some lesser-known boxers with relative ease.

Tyson is a +200 underdog in this fight on most major sportsbooks, and that’s likely because of the 30-year age difference. But Tyson is different. He’s a heavyweight. This will be Paul’s first heavyweight bout, a division in which Tyson won six championship titles during his professional career.

While training videos can easily be altered and edited, Tyson looks to be in great shape. At a heavier weight, Paul will presumably get tired quicker, and he’s never exactly been known for great endurance.

Friday’s arrival will be met with excitement. A large piece of me feels like this could unfold like any other Paul fight, and that could be very apparent early in the match. The way Paul fights typically goes, he will strategically select an older, slower opponent that he could wear down with his heavy right hand. The opponents are typically in it for the pay day, and sometimes that’s very obvious with their clear lack of preparation.

But there’s a small piece of me that thinks this one could be different. Surely, Tyson is in this one for the pay day, too. The legend has nothing left to prove inside of that ring. But if he could be the one to finally knock out Paul and put an end to all of this madness?

That would be a story that only Netflix could script.