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Tyson vs. Paul: What the stats tell us about the fight

Tyson vs. Paul: What the stats tell us about the fight

Mike Tyson will compete in a sanctioned fight for the first time since June 2005 when he takes on Jake Paul in an eight-round heavyweight bout on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (Netflix, 8 p.m. ET). The last time Tyson, 58, fought in an official fight, he suffered a sixth-round TKO from Kevin McBride. He did not fight again until November 28, 2020, when he defeated Roy Jones Jr. met in an eight-round exhibition.

During his first reign as heavyweight champion, which began on November 22, 1986, with a victory over Trevor Berbick to capture the WBC title, Tyson was one of the most dominant boxers in recent history. Over the next three years, Tyson amassed a 10-0 record with nine KOs, unifying all-title titles and becoming the undisputed champion. He landed 16.3 of 34.5 punches per round (47.2%, almost 15% higher than the heavyweight division average).

Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) was also very effective with his power punches, landing an incredible 55.1% (12.4 per round) – the division average is 39.7% (9.5 per round).

Paul (10-1, 7 KOs), a YouTuber turned prizefighter, started boxing professionally in January 2020. He fought primarily against former UFC fighters and fellow YouTubers, scoring KO victories in four of his first five fights.

Their fight on Friday will be contested in two-minute rounds and with 14-ounce gloves. Heavyweight boxing matches are regularly contested in three-minute rounds using 10-ounce gloves.

To get a better idea of ​​the age difference between Tyson and Paul: When Paul was born in January 1997, Tyson was already a 30-year-old champion with a record of 45-2, 39 KOs.

With that difference in experience – and age – let’s look at the battle through the numbers.


  • 31: Age difference, in years, between Tyson (58) and Paul (27).

  • 47: Tyson’s fights before Paul was born in 1997.

  • 24: Years since Tyson last fought professionally (a sixth-round loss to Kevin McBride in 2005).

  • 47.2: Percentage of punches Tyson landed during his first reign as heavyweight champion (10 fights, from November 1986 to July 1989). It was almost 15% higher than the heavyweight division average (32.4%).

  • 55.1: Percentage of power punches Tyson landed during his first reign as heavyweight champion, 15.4% higher than the average in the heavyweight division (39.7%).

  • 20: Tyson’s age when he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history by defeating Trevor Berbick for the WBC title in November 1986 in Las Vegas.

  • 42-1: Tyson’s betting odds to beat James “Buster” Douglas in February 1990. Douglas stopped Tyson in round 10, the biggest upset in boxing history.

  • -235: Betting by ESPN BET for Paul to win the fight. Tyson is the underdog at +185 (as of November 13).

  • 22: Tyson’s career first-round wins rank third among heavyweight champions (Shannon Briggs with 30 and Jack Dempsey with 25).

  • 12: Punches per round thrown by Tyson in his losses to Kevin McBride, Danny Williams and Lennox Lewis, of 31.8 (37.7%).

  • 20.8: Punches per round landed on Tyson by McBride, Williams and Lewis from 46.8 (44.4%).

  • 48.5: The percentage of power punches landed on Tyson in his losses to McBride, Williams and Lewis.

  • 7: Paul landed power punches per round at 16.2, below the division average of 9.7 per round. His opponents scored 7.1 per round against him.

  • 3: Paul’s fights against professional boxers (2-1) taking on Tyson.

  • 1: Loss to Paul in his professional boxing career, a split decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023.

  • 11.3: Punches were landed by Paul out of 35.1 thrown (32.2%), below the cruiserweight division average of 14.

  • 3: Paul’s consecutive KO wins since December 2023, tied for the longest streak of his career.

  • 70: Paul’s career KO percentage, with four first-round wins.