Netflix is now getting into the ring with ESPN, DAZN and Showtime in an effort to offer content on combat sports. After the streaming giant signed a monumental deal with the WWE to have the streaming rights to WWE Raw, the entertainment platform is also now making a move to add boxing to their slate as The Hollywood Reporter reveals the streaming service is holding a “boxing mega-event” with two marquee names in the sport.
Netflix’s inaugural boxing event will feature a main bout with the former Heavyweight Champion of the World, Mike Tyson, and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Paul has spent his recent years crossing over into boxing and MMA, taking on other YouTube celebrities as well as pro-fighters who have long since been retired. The YouTube star’s Most Valuable Promotions will be partnering with Netflix on the boxing event, which is set to stream live on the service from AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas on July 20. The event will be made available to all Netflix subscribers as opposed to the Pay-Per-View model that sports streaming services currently employ.
Gabe Spitzer, the VP of nonfiction sports for Netflix, has released a statement on the event that says, “Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history. Saturday, July 20 will be pure drama in the ring in Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Most Valuable Promotions for this historic event and we can’t wait for these two to face off for fans all across the world on Netflix.”
This boxing stream, which will also feature undercard matches as well as a co-main event, joins Netflix’s broadcast of tennis match with Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal facing off in Las Vegas for The Netflix Slam, as well as a live stream of a golf event featuring PGA Tour stars pairing with Formula 1 drivers for The Netflix Cup.
Paul would release a statement that said, “It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard. Now, less than four years later, I’m stepping up to face Tyson myself to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing’s most notorious fighters and biggest icons.” And Tyson would state, “He’s grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT.”