Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul: What’s behind the celebrity boxing craze?

Mike Tyson, the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion who has recently recovered from a stomach ulcer, is set to face 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a boxing match the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Friday, News.az reports citing Aljazeera.

With an eye-watering $40m up for grabs in the fight’s “purse” and no title belts on the line, the showdown, which has been approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, has drawn condemnation from the boxing community for being a product of celebrity culture that some see as devaluing the art of this sport.

Friday’s match marks the latest in a string of recent unorthodox matchups involving celebrities and former professionals.

How did we get to a point when a former professional recovering from ill health will face off against a man 31 years his junior in a boxing ring — and potentially draw millions of viewers around the world?

The quality and intensity of these matches ranged wildly from an unexpectedly feisty matchup in 2002 between UK comedians Ricky Gervais and Bob Mortimer to a tepid but symbolic bout in 2015 between US Senator Mitt Romney and five-times world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.

In 2017, the then-UFC lightweight champion, Conor McGregor, broke with convention when he fought boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr in a crossover fight that was billed, “The Money Fight”.

Logan Paul, in the red-white-and-blue shorts, and KSI, in black-and-red shorts, exchange punches during their pro debut fight at Staples Center on November 9, 2019, in Los Angeles, California [Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images via AFP]

Mayweather was guaranteed $100m and McGregor $30m for the fight. Non-disclosure agreements meant the final payouts have not been published, but reports from the fighters’ camps afterwards suggest the payouts were much higher than anticipated.

That same year, an amateur boxing event in London pitted YouTube influencers against each other with a headline fight between KSI – a 31-year-old British influencer and musician, and Joe Weller, 28, also a British influencer and musician.

That started a trend with Jake Paul, who made a name for himself by posting prank videos online, facing off against KSI the following year and then against Mayweather in a 2021 exhibition match.

News.Az