Jake Paul’s fight against Mike Tyson WILL be an exhibition, Iron Mike confirms… as the the 57-year-old reveals why he’s ‘scared to death’ ahead of summer showdown

Mike Tyson has confirmed that his summer showdown against Jake Paul will be classified as an exhibition rather than a professional fight.

The boxing world was left stunned after the shock news that YouTuber Paul and veteran fighter Tyson would meet in Texas on July 20 in a lucrative fight that would be broadcast live on Netflix, with fans and pundits widely criticizing the event.

But one of the main questions was whether the fight would be officially sanctioned as a pro fight that would be listed on both records, or whether it would simply be an exhibition with no winner declared.

Tyson, 57, has fought exhibition since the end of his career and took on Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, while all of Paul’s fights were on his professional record.

Tyson revealed the fight’s official classification, defended it and insisted it would still be fought under “real fight” rules.

Tyson and Paul have announced that they have shocked the boxing world with the news that they will fight in Texas in July

“This is called an exhibition, but when you look up an exhibition, you don’t see any of the laws we’re fighting against,” he told Fox News.

‘This is a fight. I don’t think he’s faster than me. I saw a YouTube video of him dancing funny at the age of 16. That’s not the man I’m fighting. This is a man who is going to try to hurt me, which I am used to, and he will be sorely mistaken.”

When asked by the newscaster if Tyson would “kick his ass,” the Hall of Famer boxer was optimistic but said he was still “terrified” ahead of the summer fight.

“Right now I’m terrified,” he added. “As the fight gets closer, I get less nervous, because it’s reality, and in reality I’m invincible.”

Tyson has admitted he is ‘terrified’ ahead of his fight against the Youtuber (right)

Tyson also said he was keen to teach Paul, who was 30 years his junior, a lesson, although he claimed there was no bad blood between them.

‘I will, but do you hate him? I don’t hold a grudge against him, he’s beautiful, not from that perspective.’

The Paul-Tyson fight will be held at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Texas, home of NFL team Dallas Cowboys.

In addition to the fight being announced as an exhibition, the rules for the fight have also been revealed.

Paul and Tyson will wear 16-ounce boxing gloves instead of the traditional 10-ounce gloves used in professional fights.

There will be two-minute rounds instead of the usual three-minute rounds, and there will be no official judges at ringside to score the fight.

The majority of the rules – apart from the glove weight – are the same as when Tyson took on Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition fight in November 2020

The high-profile fight will take place without headgear, with Tyson the odds-on favorite to win

The only way Paul or Iron Mike could win the fight would be if a knockout happened that night.

It comes after Tyson hit back at ‘jealous’ critics of his fight against Paul.

‘I’m 58, and what? I get billions of views just from talking about fighting,” he told Reuters.

“Everyone, even most athletes, are jealous… You couldn’t sell out an arena. Who at 58 can sell out an 80,000 seat arena? Why do you think he wants to fight me and no one else?

‘All boxers want to fight him. But if he were to fight them, the only people who will come are the people who like him. Their parents may not even come to see them.”