Tyson vs. Paul: Big Money, Nostalgia, and Netflix’s Live-Event Bet

The Mike Tyson–Jake Paul boxing match, finally happening Friday night in Texas, started as a novelty event not necessarily taken seriously by many. There are still plenty of questions about the validity of a 58-year-old fighting a YouTube influencer. But the bout has nonetheless become a big-money spectacle that will also help drive Netflix’s live-event ambitions. 

After a prior delay due to Tyson’s health issues and concerns about safety that still exist in some corners, the match with Paul will happen at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Cowboys. A crowd of more than 60,000 is expected, and seats range widely in cost from $57 to $50,000 each, with a $2 million uber-luxury experience for the fight purchased by Los Angeles personal-injury firm TorkLaw. 

The main event is expected to begin around 11 p.m. ET after a series of undercard fights. Paul reportedly will earn $40 million for the fight, while Tyson will gain an estimated $20 million. 

Neither fighter is currently ranked by a major organization in the sport such as the World Boxing Council. Additionally, Tyson has not boxed in a sanctioned event since 2005. But the prematch weigh-in featured the type of drama common to big title fights, or even one in mixed martial arts, as Tyson slapped Paul, and the 27-year-old responded that “it’s personal now. He must die!”

Paul is favored in the match, but betting activity in recent days has shifted heavily toward Tyson, perhaps in part due to some nostalgia for his run in the late 1980s as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. By the time the fight happens, multiple sportsbooks are expected to have their best-ever boxing volume. For his part, Paul is leaning in to a role as the villain.

“I’m the new kid on the block, the disrupter, loudmouth, polarizing figure,” Paul said. “I’ve built my career as the heel. Naturally, people want to root against me, and that’s great for the sport of boxing.”

Streaming Matters

The fight, meanwhile, will be a significant boost for Netflix, which will show it globally to its more than 282.7 million subscribers at no additional cost—veering significantly away from the pay-per-view model common to broadcasting across combat sports. The bout in particular advances the company’s live-event ambitions, which will advance even more in the coming weeks with its Christmas Day NFL doubleheader (advertising inventory there is already sold out) and the January start of its 10-year rights deal for WWE’s Raw valued at more than $5 billion. 

In a company blog post this week, Netflix president of advertising Amy Reinhard touted the Tyson-Paul event as another example of the streaming giant’s interest in “amazing can’t-miss live moments.”

Events such as that “continue to bring members back to Netflix, driving even more fandom and conversation,” Reinhard wrote. 

Netflix also supported its promotion of the event with a three-part documentary series, Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson, that preceded the fight.