Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson will fight YouTube star-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul in the main event of the first card ever aired on Netflix, multiple reports said Thursday.
The match will take place July 20 at AT&T Stadium -- a.k.a. The House That Jerry Jones Built -- according to ESPN and Variety, among many other outlets.
Tyson and Paul fought on the same card in 2020, when Paul knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson on the undercard and Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr. to a draw in the main event.
Now, they'll meet in the main event of Netflix's first foray into combat sports and its third live sporting event overall.
"Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history," Netflix vice president for nonfiction sports Gabe Spitzer said in a statement. "Saturday, July 20 will be pure drama in the ring in Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Most Valuable Promotions for this historic event and we can't wait for these two to face off for fans all across the world on Netflix."
Most Valuable Promotions was co-founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.
"Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is a once-in-a-lifetime dream matchup and I anticipate it will be the most-watched boxing event in modern boxing history," Bidarian said in a statement to ESPN.
Tyson will be 58 on July 20 -- more than three decades older than Paul, who only began fighting professionally four years ago.
Known as one of the greatest and most intimidating boxers to ever enter the ring during his prime, Tyson was the undisputed heavyweight champ from 1887 to 1990, when he suffered a stunning loss to Buster Douglas. He has not had a professional fight since 2005, when he lost back-to-back bouts before announcing his retirement.
But Tyson returned to the ring for an exhibition bout with Jones Jr. in 2020 and appeared to be in reasonably good shape during that fight.
Tyson has a 50-6 record in professional boxing, with 44 knockouts.
Paul's professional record is 9-1 with six knockouts. He defeated former Ultimate Fighting Champion stars Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva, and Tyron Woodley before pivoting to fights against veteran boxers in an effort to gain the experience necessary for a run at the heavyweight title.
In his last two bouts, Paul has knocked out veteran fighters Andre August and Ryan Bourland, according to ESPN.
"[Paul has] grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a 'kid' can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT," Tyson said in a statement to ESPN. "It's a full-circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch, as I started him on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones, and now I plan to finish him."
"It's crazy to think that in my second pro fight I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson's undercard," Paul said in a statement. "Now, less than four years later, I'm stepping up to face Tyson myself to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing's most notorious fighters and biggest icons. Within just two and a half years of founding MVP, we're about to produce the biggest fight in history, a fight in the biggest NFL stadium in the US, broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world -- a testament to all we've accomplished in such a short amount of time."