In this composite image a comparison between former boxer Mike Tyson (L) and Jake Paul (R). Tyson and Paul face the exhibition match in July 2024.
Francois Nel | Christian Petersen | Getty Images
Mike Tyson’s return to the boxing ring to fight Jake Paul this summer has already seen ticket prices skyrocket and bookmakers keen.
The Game July 20which will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will be broadcast globally Netflix, expected to be the heaviest boxing match of the year. Fans are already lining up for tickets to see former heavyweight champion Tyson, who will be 58 at the time, take on 27-year-old social media influencer-turned-boxer Paul.
The match, which will be sanctioned as a professional match, will be 8 rounds, consisting of two minutes each. Tyson last fought in an exhibition bout in 2020, but his last professional bout was in 2005.
The event will also feature world lightweight champion Katie Taylor vs. boxing champion and unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano. The two previously held the first sold out women’s boxing championship at Madison Square Garden.
Most Valuable Promotions, Paul’s co-owned company promoting the event, said more than 121,000 fans have signed up for presale access to the fight. Tickets will officially go on sale next Thursday.
“This is an event that literally touches six generations,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP.
Bidarian said 35,000 people have said they want to sit on the venue floor and more than 10,000 have said they want VIP seats.
Most Valuable Promotions also has a unique offer for the fight — a $2 million VIP package. The offer, he said, will include two ringside seats, which he said have never been offered before in boxing.
The package will also include four first-row floor seats for the event, four second-row seats, a pre-fight locker room photo with Paul and Tyson, gloves signed by both fighters and a two-night luxury penthouse stay at the hotel the fighters.
“We’re trying to bring awareness and exposure back to boxing in a giant way. That hasn’t happened in many, many years,” Bidarian said.
For those who can’t afford the $2 million, secondary market sites like Gametime have posted ticket prices for the event. Currently, the lowest cost tickets are available for $357 each and ringside seats are selling for $8,067 each.
Interest in race gambling has also grown. BetMGM is already taking bets on the match. The odds show Jake Paul as the current favorite (-145), but 70% of the money is on Tyson.
“This is the type of big fight that will appeal to many demographics: Tyson supporters, Jake Paul haters and casual sports fans,” said Alex Rella, senior trader at BetMGM. “I fully expect this to be the most anticipated boxing match of the year.”
The financial terms of the fight, and what Netflix will receive from it, have not been released. Netflix will make the match available to all subscribers at no cost as the streaming giant continues its push into the sport.
Tyson and Paul are expected to make eight figures, Bidarian said.
“We hope this will become the most watched event in sports in the US,” he added.