Mike Tyson needs Jake Paul for one last monstrous payday as £77.5m controversial fight looms

Watching Jake Paul and Mike Tyson have a fight – with a 31-year age difference no less – is like urinating in a swimming pool. You know it’s wrong, but you do it anyway (so I hear).

Why is Iron Mike lacing his gloves up again nearly 20 years after his last professional bout? This contest will count on his professional record of 50 wins and six losses (with two no contests) – who could have thought a charismatic YouTuber turned somewhat professional boxer could entice one of the sport’s giants to don the ring once more?

Remember when Tyson quit on his stool against Kevin McBride and proceeded to tell everyone he only fought for the money and he didn’t love boxing anymore?

I’m sure he’s rekindled his love for boxing over the years just as I’m sure his love for a payday burns strong. And make no mistake; Tyson was the box office sensation in his prime that carried boxing to new heights but in today’s landscape, Paul is the pay-per-view king.

Despite evidence suggesting the event is struggling to sell-out the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – or even half selling it out – the fact that Netflix have paid big money to secure the fight means not a single soul could turn up on the night and both men will take home tens of millions of dollars.

Paul will reportedly bank $40million for his troubles in Texas while Tyson will walk away with at least $20m, a number which could almost double depending on how how the fight performs. Even Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor II in the ‘co-main event’ will take home around $15m between them.

Back in the late 1980s and early 90s, Tyson was a tsunami blitzing his way through the sport. A devastating knockout artist seldom seen with such speed and ferocity that showcased his explosive peak-a-boo style, Tyson made it so you just had to buy his fights.