Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul: Every rule and regulation you need to know post sanctioning nod from regulating body

Mike Tyson is set to make his return to the boxing ring when he faces Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20. It will mark the International Boxing Hall of Famer's first time entering the boxing ring since his 2020 exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr.

While many expected the first-ever boxing match to be live-streamed on Netflix to also be an exhibition, it was classified as a sanctioned, professional fight by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations on Monday. Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian shared a statement with Andreas Hale of ESPN, stating:

"Mike Tyson and Jake Paul signed on to fight each other with the desire to do so in a sanctioned professional fight that would have a definitive outcome. Over the past six weeks, MVP has worked with its partners to satisfy the requirements of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) to sanction Paul vs. Tyson, and we are grateful that we have gotten to this point." [h/t ESPN]

While the fight will be a professional bout that will go on both fighter's records, there will be slight differences from a normal heavyweight boxing match. It will be an eight-round bout with two-minute rounds, likely due to Tyson's age - 58 - and Paul's inexperience.

Meanwhile, the fighters will wear 14-ounce gloves as opposed to the traditional 12-ounce gloves worn in boxing. This will likely play into Paul's favor as, despite his age, Tyson still possesses plenty of punching power.

---

Mike Tyson reveals changes he's made ahead of Jake Paul bout

Mike Tyson is widely considered one of the greatest boxing heavyweights of all time. His upcoming bout with Jake Paul has received plenty of criticism, however, due to what will be a 31-year-age gap between the two when they enter the ring. Despite this, 'Iron Mike' revealed he is training three times a day and taking his opponent seriously in a recent interview with Will Yakowicz of Forbes before adding:

"Right now, I’m living my life disciplined now. So, I'm at the fight discipline now. It’s probably [been] six weeks [that] I haven’t gotten high or had s*x."

When asked why he has given up cannabis and s*x, the International Boxing Hall of Famer responded:

"It's just discipline. You know, discipline is doing what you love to do, what you love to do, doing what you hate to do but doing it like you love it. I hate not being able to smoke, but I’m doing it like I love it. I hate not being able to sleep with my wife, but I'm doing it like I love it."

Check out Mike Tyson's comments on his discipline ahead of Jake Paul bout below (starting at the 5:03 mark):

With Monday's news that the bout will be scored as a professional bout, 'Iron Mike' will have an opportunity to pick up his first professional win since February 2003 - when he was 36 years old.