Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is preparing for his long-awaited return to the ring to take on YouTube star Jake Paul.
The 58-year-old, once known as the “baddest man on the planet”, has been enticed to get his gloves back on almost 40-years on from when he made his professional debut in March, 1985.
He famously became the youngest-ever world champion at the age of 20 after winning his first 19 fights by knockout, with 12 of those coming in the first round.
However, his career was also mired in controversy and he was jailed and sentenced to six years behind bars for raping an 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant in 1992.
He was released on parole three years later and returned to the ring in 1995 and was world champion again a year later after defeating Frank Bruno.
Tyson had further career controversies, including biting part of Evander Holyfield’s ear off during a fight in 1997, before his last professional fight ended in defeat to Kevin McBride in 2005.
His next opponent is “problem child” Paul who turned his hands to boxing after shooting to fame as one of the most popular influencers on social media.
Netflix/Esther Lin/Most Valuable PromotionAfter gaining more than 500 million followers on YouTube the 27-year-old took up boxing and has had fights against the likes of Tommy Fury and UFC star Nate Diaz.
The pair will meet in Texas on Friday night (early Saturday morning UK time) in a fight that will be streamed live on Netflix.
Where to watch
Mike Tyson v Jake Paul will be shown live on streaming service Netflix at no additional cost to current subscribers.
Those not currently subscribed to Netflix can get a month’s subscription for £4.99 for one device or £10.99 for two devices.
There is no single pay-per-view option for the fight.
When will it start (UK time)
The main card, which includes Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano, Neeraj Goyat v Whindersson Nunes and Mario Barrios v Abel Ramos will begin at around 7pm in Texas and 1am in the UK.
Tyson and Paul are expected to be making their way to the ring at 10pm US time and 4am in the UK, meaning it could either be a very early start or a very late night for those watching in Scotland.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
