Netflix’s first live boxing match, a high-profile fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, has a new date.
Just a week after the match was postponed due to Tyson’s ulcer flare-up, the fight’s promoter, Most Valuable Promotions, said the event would now take place on Friday, November 15.
It will still be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and one of the undercard matches will still be Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano. Netflix owns the worldwide broadcast rights to the fight, picking them up in March as part of its live events campaign.
“Our team has worked diligently with all parties involved to reschedule this monumental fight to a date that ensures Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are fully prepared, with equal training time, while still allowing us to keep the event at the stadium AT&T in the middle of the Cowboys season,” Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, said in a statement. “We appreciate the exceptional dedication, collaboration and flexibility of our partners at Netflix and AT&T Stadium. Paul vs. Tyson is the most cross-generational sporting event in history, and we are committed to bringing fans everywhere this unforgettable night of boxing, live around the world on Netflix.
Netflix has made live events a top strategic priority, with the streaming giant also signing a deal with the NFL for two Christmas Day games, paying around $75 million for each.
But the boxing match is poised to become “the most-watched boxing match ever thanks to Netflix’s ease of access and large global subscriber base,” wrote JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth , and if successful, it could spark a broader foray into combat sports for the streamer.
The match was postponed due to Tyson’s ulcer problems, which prevented him from training. The new date will allow him to have enough time to train before the fight.
“Even though we had to postpone the fight, I will return to training shortly,” Tyson said in a statement. “I am grateful to the medical staff who treated me as well as MVP, Netflix and AT&T Stadium for working diligently to find the best reschedule date for all parties.
“Even if we have a new date, the result will be the same no matter when we fight,” he added. “Jake Paul is out.”
