The highly anticipated, and controversial, boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson just got even more interesting. Scheduled for November 15th at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, this fight pits the 58-year-old legend, Mike ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson, against the YouTuber-turned-boxer, Jake Paul, 31 years his junior. While concerns linger about the age gap and Tyson’s long retirement since 2005, Paul is exuding confidence, so much so that he’s proposed a high-stakes bet involving a tattoo.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul face off before their boxing match
The Stakes: $5 Million and a Potential Mike Tyson Tattoo
Jake Paul, known as ‘The Problem Child,’ is so confident in his victory that he’s publicly offered Mike Tyson a lucrative side bet. Paul stated he would pay Tyson an additional $5 million simply for lasting beyond four rounds in their professional boxing contest. This means even if Tyson were to be stopped at the very beginning of the fifth round, he would still secure the bonus.
However, the bet comes with a significant condition for Tyson should Paul secure a knockout within the first four rounds. In that scenario, the boxing legend would have to get a tattoo declaring “I love Jake Paul” on his body. This echoes a similar bet Paul made with UFC fighter Tyron Woodley, who famously got an “I love Jake Paul” tattoo after losing their first match.
Paul announced the offer in a video shared on Betr’s X account, directly addressing Tyson: “Mikey, Mikey, if you can last more than four rounds with me, I’ll give you an extra $5 million. But, if you don’t, then you have to get a tattoo that says I love Jake Paul. Deal or no deal?”
As of now, Mike Tyson has not publicly responded to this tattoo proposition, leaving fans and pundits to speculate whether he will accept this unusual challenge.
Beyond the Money: Tyson’s Motivation for Fighting Jake Paul
Despite the substantial financial incentives surrounding the fight, including an estimated $80 million purse to be shared, Mike Tyson insists his return to the ring isn’t primarily about money. Tyson, who has found considerable business success with his cannabis company, Tyson 2.0, stated in September that his motivation is more about personal challenge and testing his limits on a global stage.
“I could be waiting on a check every day from cannabis,” Tyson explained, emphasizing his desire for something more profound. “That’s bulls*** for me. I’m a man, I want to go out there and I want to expose myself to risk. Sometimes I want to see who I really am.”
He further elaborated, “I want to see what I’m really made out of. I want to perform in front of the world. To me, that’s all I ever knew how to do since I was 14. This fight is not going to change my life financially enough. This is just what I want to do.”
Whether Tyson will respond to Paul’s tattoo bet remains to be seen, but it undoubtedly adds another layer of intrigue to an already captivating and controversial boxing match. The potential of Mike Tyson sporting an “I love Jake Paul” tattoo is certainly a talking point that has captured the attention of the combat sports world and beyond.
