What are the rules for Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight? Surprising rare exceptions

Mike Tyson/Jake Paul fight quickly approaching, but what took so long?

Netflix's boxing event featuring the legendary Iron Mike Tyson and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, is being featured at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas on November 15.

A 58-year-old man fighting a 27-year-old man in a sanctioned professional boxing match is not normal. Neither are the rules by which Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will be fighting Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In a bout scheduled for eight rounds, here are the most important things to know about the non-traditional rules:

• The rounds will last two minutes, a minute shorter than the standard three-minute round typically used for men’s bouts. (Two-minute rounds are used for amateur fights and most women’s pro fights.)
• The boxing gloves will weigh 14 ounces rather than the standard 10-ounce gloves typically used in sanctioned pro fights by boxers who weigh 147 pounds or more.

Tyson is widely expected to benefit from the shortened rounds because he’ll have to expend less energy while facing a boxer 31 years younger than he is.

There’s more debate on whether either fighter will benefit significantly from the heavier gloves, with some boxing experts saying the extra padding will soften the blows.

“Yep, all his rules,’’ Paul said in May on his podcast. “I agreed to all his rules.’’

Tyson has said he wanted the two-minute rounds to increase the action. He has not addressed the use of heavier gloves.

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Tyson vs. Paul rules: How did this happen?

Many state boxing commissions require three-minute rounds and 10-ounce gloves for pro bouts involving male boxers who weigh 147 pounds or more. Not so in Texas.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which oversees combat sports in Texas, deferred to the requests of the promoter of the Tyson-Paul bout when it came to rules.

The promoter is Bryce Holden of Holden Boxing. Holden works for Most Valuable Promotions, co-founded by Jake Paul and his adviser Nakisa Bidarian. Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix partnered in putting together the fight. Holden has not responded to requests for comment from USA TODAY made by voicemail and text message.

The use of 14-ounce gloves for a sanctioned pro fight will be a first in Texas, according to Tela Mange, Communications Manager for the TDLR. Two-minute rounds for fights involving male boxers are also rare in Texas, according to Mange.

“We’ve had a couple of men’s bouts that were professional debuts that were two-minute rounds, but it’s been a while, and I haven’t been able to figure out who those were,’’ she said.

When asked why the TDLR made exceptions for the Tyson-Paul fight, Mange responded, “…if two contestants request terms that do not represent a safety issue, and are not in violation of statute and/or rules, then we can agree to regulate the event and ensure those terms are enforced. Having heavier gloves and shorter rounds does not make the event more dangerous for either competitor.’’

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What they're saying about the Tyson-Paul rules

Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali and a pro fighter, said he thinks the non-traditional rules were critical safety precautions.

“I don't think any sanctioning body would allow the fight to happen with Mike if they were 10-ounce gloves and three-minute rounds,’’ he said.

Mange, when asked whether sanctioning the pro fight hinged on heavier gloves and shorted rounds, said the TDLR is “not going to speculate on the issue.’’

But Kathy Duva, a longtime boxing promoter, suggested the fight is sanctioned in name only considering the rules that will be in place.

“Sanction or not, it’s an exhibition when you start changing the rules,’’ she said.

The major difference between a sanctioned pro fight and an exhibition is the outcome in a pro fight counts against a boxer’s record.

Tyson has not fought professionally since 2005. His eight-round fight against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 was an exhibition with two-minute rounds and 12-ounce gloves. The boxers were instructed by The California State Athletic Commission not to try to knock each other out.

During a sanctioned pro fight, by contrast, boxers are expected to be trying to knock each other out.

George Foreman, the retired heavyweight champion, clearly thinks a knockout is possible despite the use of 14-ounce gloves rather than 10-ounce gloves.

“For a genuine puncher, there is hardly any difference,'' he said. "When I was sparring back in the day, many guys were hurt and holding on when I hit them. ….(A 14-ounce glove) can’t mask power.‘’

Zach Schlouch, Director of Sportsbook Operations for Rush Street Initiatives, suggests the rules impact how oddmakers view the fight.

"Shorter rounds, generally speaking, lead to more action,'' Schlouch told USA TODAY Sports by email. "When there's less time in a round, there's less emphasis on the long-range strategic approach and more on keeping the intensity high – which is, of course, what organizers and fans of this fight are looking for. 

"However, in a fight like this with a large age gap, heavier gloves are used to focus the fighters on proper technique and to assist in preventing injury. This fact definitely favors Jake Paul since the larger gloves threaten to reduce the speed of Mike Tyson's legendary knockout punch.''