Mike Tyson is stepping back into the ring to face Jake Paul, the social media star turned boxer, on July 20th. The match, to be streamed live on Netflix, will mark Tyson’s return to the ring after a 2020 exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. For Netflix, it’s a strategic move – a foray into live “sports-adjacent” programming that captures audience interest without the hefty price tag of pro league rights. But will it even happen?

With this fight coming close, many criticisms are already flying around. There is even a sizeable proportion of people who believe this fight will never see the light of day. Riding this thought is none other than former welterweight champion Shawn Porter, who doesn’t think that Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson would come to fruition on July 20th. He made his thoughts evident on his podcast.

Shawn Porter suspicious of the swift fight arrangement

On the PorterWay Podcast, Shawn Porter talked about why exactly he isn’t excited about the marquee contest between the Youtuber-turned-boxer and ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’. He’s one of the few aficionados who believes that this fight may be a hoax for the fans, as no such fight could be finalized so early, as it was announced just five days after Jake Paul’s last fight. Porter stated, “I’m not excited and that’s why I don’t think the fight happening. I think for something like this to happen, it takes more than four to five days to make something like this happen.”

Porter believes that Jake Paul would’ve said something about this event in his last fight or even around that time. He remarked, “And what I’m saying is, I don’t think that through the course of him having a fight in Puerto Rico, never mentioned yeah we gonna get this bum out of the way and I got something real exciting for y’all after that. Never said anything like that, and then after the fight, the fight as dry as it ended as dry as it was, you got to do something to get us excited and get us pumped up.”

Porter is suspicious of the fact that if a discussion for such a fight was already underway, Jake Paul would have definitely made it known. He added, “You didn’t know that this fight was on the horizon? I don’t think this fight gets made in four or five days.”

However, from Jake Paul’s side, they’re trying to promote the fight every day, so if it doesn’t happen, it’d turn out to be the biggest scam for boxing fans. Paul even recently spoke about all the rumors going on around the rules of the fight.

Jake Paul tries to clear the misinformation

Following criticism of supposed leaked “fight rules” that included headgear and oversized gloves, Paul took to social media to debunk them with characteristic bluntness. Paul wasted no time calling out the misinformation, labeling those who believe it as “idiots.”

While the official rules remain undisclosed, Paul’s fiery response suggests a more traditional fight. He said, “I feel for any dumb*** who believes that, and I would never let my fans down in a fight like this and wearing headgear? Come on now, people.” His manager echoed a similar sentiment, shutting down the rumors through his Instagram.

So, it’s not known whether the fight is just a marketing stunt, or if both fighters will really go toe-to-toe against each other on July 20th. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section.

Also Read: “Tyson Catches Him With a Good One”: Oscar De La Hoya Predicts the Winner of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson