Jake Paul's $40m gamble that paid off after first meeting Mike Tyson
Jake Paul had to lose a few bucks to land his mega pay-day fight against Mike Tyson - by appearing on his undercard.
The YouTube star will take on the boxing legend in professional bout on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
While many have criticised the clash, there is no denying that there is interest - with Netflix set to exclusively broadcast the fight for the first time on its streaming platform.
But the fight might never have got underway had Paul not appeared on Tyson's undercard for his comeback clash against Roy Jones Jr - albeit an exhibition fight.
Jake Paul met Mike Tyson on his undercard in 2020
Getty
On that occasion, Paul took on former NBA star Nate Robinson on November 28 in 2020 for a fraction of the money he earned on his debut fight against fellow social media star AnEsonGib.
However, the gamble has paid off for the 27-year-old, who is set to make $40million from his fight against Tyson.
Nakisa Bidarian, who is Paul's partner on his promotion label Most Valuable Promotions, has explained how the YouTuber-turned-boxer is a commercial dream.
“I saw a unique opportunity to create a direct-to-consumer relationship within fight sports," Bidarian told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I said, ‘Listen, this is what makes sense for this event, but I promise you, if you perform well, your next payday will be at least eight figures.
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“We turned that into an over $10 million guarantee for his next fight [against Ben Askren].
“Jake’s and my focus has been generating interest in Gen Z and Gen Alpha in the sport of boxing.
“And if you look at all the statistics, boxing is one of the fastest growing sports for Gen Alpha, by far.
Jake Paul has fought 11 times in his boxing career, losing once
Reuters
"Jake’s had a large part to play in that. If you ask a lot of kids — age 6 to 16 — who’s the best boxer in the world, their answer is Jake Paul.”
Earlier this year, Paul let slip how much he is set to make from his upcoming clash against Tyson.
“I’m here to make 40 million dollars and knock out a legend,” Paul said in August.
Meanwhile, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has insisted that the fight should not be going ahead, slamming it as 'dangerous' and 'disrespectful'.
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"If I was Jake Paul I'd just feel a little bit embarrassed to be honest with you. It's a liberty," Hearn told the BBC.
"This is dangerous, irresponsible and, in my opinion, disrespectful to the sport of boxing."
Hearn then added: "The reality is that 20 years ago when Mike Tyson retired from the sport he was shot, completely finished.
"It was actually sad to watch then, 20 years ago."