Is Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul More Entertainment Than Sport?

There's no question that Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul is set to be a major day for our best sports betting sites, but the legitimacy of the match has long been questioned. 

And that's probably fair in some regard: is "El Gallo" vs. "Iron Mike" actually more entertainment than it is sport? 

Despite reports that it could be the most-bet boxing match in the history of some of our best boxing betting sites, there are plenty of doubters. British PR vet Mark Borkowski commented in that the event was "more WWE than WBA." 

While it's a sanctioned bout, it's between a 58-year-old former world-class boxer and a YouTuber-turned-professional boxer, but one who has mostly cherry-picked his opponents.

That's an opinion shared by many. But entertainment or sport, we have you covered right to the opening bell. 

We've long tracked the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul odds, where Esten McLaren suggests that "Now may be the time to bite on the once-heavy favorite" ahead of sharp money later in the week.

And while we have our own Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul prediction, we've also saved you a click by rounding up the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul expert picks from around the industry.

This was sanctioned?

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation sanctioned the fight, but not without first giving many concessions. 

The fighters will wear 14-ounce gloves instead of the standard 10-ounce gloves worn by professional boxers. That immediately has a huge impact on the strategy both combatants will employ, and will benefit Paul from not feeling the full force of Tyson's power. 

The rounds will also last only two minutes (instead of the standard three) and they'll only go eight rounds, saving themselves two or four rounds from normal fights. 

Those two changes ultimately will benefit the 58-year-old Tyson, who hasn't had a professional bout in almost 20 years. In May, Deontay Wilder spoke with us about the fight and was shocked it was sanctioned. 

“I think it's bad the commission has licensed Mike Tyson because he hasn't been active in 20 years, so they should not just license him because of who he is, that's how people get hurt, God forbid he gets hurt," he said. "People can get hit in the wrong place and at the wrong time, there's lots of examples where guys have been hit into a coma. It's easy to do.

"His power may not have left completely but you still need to set it up, your stamina needs to be a certain way, or it's going to look like a clown show. I don't want to see it to be honest. I don't want to see one of my legends fight a YouTuber. If (Jake) goes in there and he knocks Mike out, that's going to tarnish the reputation of Mike. I don't want the last thing I remember of him is him getting knocked out by a Youtuber."

Press conference shenanigans 

Ahead of the fight, the fighters held a press conference on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, questions about the legitimacy of the fight came up. 

Another former boxing world champion, Tony Bellew, interrupted proceedings before being kicked out of the event.

"Jake Paul, the biggest clown within boxing. If Mike lets you survive on Saturday night, then I've got your next opponent here," he said.

Bellew was refencing the "great-grandfather" standing next to him.

For his part, Tyson doesn't seem to mind whether people see it as sport or entertainment.

According to Sporitco's Jacob Feldman, when asked how it felt that people believed the fight "isn't to the level of professional boxing", Tyson gestured to the large assembled crowd suggesting of the turnout: "Well, the people speak for itself."

Fight Info

Regardless of which side of the bout you're on and which side of the entertainment vs. sports debate you fall on, this is must-watch television. 

The action gets underway on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The first-of-its-kind event begins at 8 p.m. ET and can be watched on Netflix.