Mike Tyson has not won a professional bout in almost two decades. But he hopes to make history as he undertakes a professional bout at the age of 57. Yes, you read that right. The upcoming July fight between Iron Mike and Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, has been sanctioned as a professional fight and will be reflected on each of their records according to what Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions have to say.

In the days leading to the fight, there was heavy criticism against ‘The Problem Child’ fighting Mike Tyson, who is 30 years older than him. Later on, it was confirmed by the senior fighter that it, indeed would be an exhibition fight, alas fought with all seriousness. While that did simmer down some criticism against the strange matchup, in a fresh turn of events, it has been declared as a pro fight. As a result, the flak against it has also been reignited.

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson: Sanctioned pro fight!

Both entities took their respective social media handles to announce that their fight would be sanctioned as an official boxing match. However, when reactions to this emerged in Mike Tyson’s post, he switched his demeanor through words. Initially, he uploaded a poster of the fight that announced that it would be a sanctioned fight and he wrote in the captions: “I wasn’t joking when I said this would be a real fight. See you in July, Jake Paul.”

But moments later, he sought the high road. He edited the caption to, “Yes it’s a real sanctioned fight with @jakepaul.” Paul, on the other hand, also sought to explain himself as to why he was undertaking a serious, sanctioned fight against a much older opponent. On his X, he wrote, “Mike Tyson wanted it to be a pro fight. Netflix wanted it to be a pro fight. So I agreed to make it a pro fight. Winner takes all.”

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As per ESPN and Michael Benson, the fight will be sanctioned under the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR). It will happen in 8 rounds of 2 minutes each. Apart from that, knockouts will be allowed in the matchup. Both the fighters will wear regular 14-ounce gloves and will not be wearing headgear.

Mike Tyson’s recent change of tone regarding the fight comes after a wave of fan criticism. Many fans expressed outrage over the decision to sanction the bout as an official match. Let’s delve deeper into the reasons behind their anger.

Fans do not concur with the sanctioning

One fan sarcastically expressed their concern about Jake Paul’s safety. They echoed the phrase that Mike Tyson once coldly said to Bob Sapp. They wrote on his post, “Big boy actually signed the contract and his death sentence…”

While a user was confident that Tyson would win, they were not happy that the fight got sanctioned. “What boxing commission signed off on this being a pro fight? I thought this was an exhibition. TYSON WINS EITHER WAY..,” they wrote. It highlights how given Tyson’s age, most assumed that it would be an exhibition fight.

Another fan in their long message to Tyson highlighted how the legend has nothing to prove to his fans. He is already one of the greatest. An excerpt of this creation read, “Don’t waste your health, you are no longer 25.. Every punch could be fatal.. Make the show.. Make the people happy and that’s it.”

Similar outrage was also channelled on Most Valuable Promotions’s Instagram post that announced the news. One fan wrote, “At 57 years the question will remain, can Mike Tyson take a punch? This is not picking a winner.” While another comment read, “They aren’t going to sanction a pro fight with a senior citizen who can barely walk upright…”

Do you think sanctioning this fight was the right idea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.