The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing spectacle, which streams live on Netflix on Fri., Nov. 15, 2024 from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will be a professionally sanctioned bout under Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
But the rules are going to look a little different on fight night.
That’s because TDLR recently rubber-stamped a pair of rule change requests from promoter Bryce Holden. The contest will now feature 14-ounce gloves — a first for “The Lone Star State” — as opposed to the standard 10 ounces.
That’s according to a new report from USA Today.
In addition, the eight rounds have been shortened from three minutes to two minutes apiece to “create more action.” While it’s not the first time a men’s contest has made that round-change request, representatives from TDLR called the decision “rare.”
“It will take the sting off a little bit,” said pro boxer Nico Ali Walsh, who is also the grandson of Muhammad Ali. “And I believe the glove size is there just as a precaution, since Mike is older than people that are fighting professionally. He shouldn’t be fighting in professionally sized gloves. The combination of the two-minute rounds and the 14-ounce gloves made this fight possible. 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.”
Lol, the glove change is to protect Paul from having to go through major reconstructive surgery after the fight.