The eyes of the sports world will be glued to Netflix on Friday as Mike Tyson and Jake Paul face off in what is perhaps the most surreal boxing match in recent memory.

Tyson, 58, returns to the ring for the first time since a 2020 exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. to face Paul, a famous boxer who has attracted attention for his lack of competitive fights.

Whether or not the fight is a spectacle doesn’t matter, as “at least 60,000” fans are expected to fill AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the showdown, according to the Associated Press.

What’s at stake and which fighter should win this high-profile fight?

Date: Friday November 15

Time: 8:00 p.m. EST (estimated arrival time 11:00 p.m.)

On the surface, the idea of ​​Tyson beating a younger, faster opponent with the size and reach advantage that Paul has seems rather absurd. Add to that the fact that he’s almost 60 years old and hasn’t had a major fight since 2005, and you get a scenario in which Tyson seemingly has no realistic chance of emerging victorious.

However, Paul has never fought a boxer like Tyson.

He’s a legitimate boxer, one of the most devastating punchers in the history of the sport. He is 50-6, with 44 victories by knockout. Although it will be difficult for him to get close to Paul without risking defeat due to the five-inch difference in reach, one punch from the former heavyweight champion could knock the actor and YouTuber-turned-boxer to the ground. .

The fact that he takes fighting seriously, his competitive spirit apparent in every interview or press conference he participated in during his promotion, only lends credibility that he could conceivably do the unthinkable and beat his much younger opponent.

This still isn’t a fight that plays to Tyson’s strengths.

If Paul can prolong the fight and use his speed to tire out his opponent, he can outlast him. The key will be to not let the moment get the better of him, to the point where he goes for it and invites a Tyson haymaker that ends it in short order.

While it’s difficult to predict exactly what will happen when the bell rings and the fight begins, expect a circus atmosphere full of pomp, circumstance, and theatrics that people expect Friday night on Netflix .

Circumstances favor Paul, but there’s something about old KO artist Tyson that makes him an intriguing choice here. Perhaps because, despite the clear spectacle this is supposed to be, he approaches it with the seriousness he did in his most famous fights.

Prediction: Tyson, against all odds, via decision (and rematch)