Mike Tyson will notice major change at Jake Paul fight as KSI, Logan Paul and other Gen Z celebs replace Hollywood A-list in hunt for tickets
Mike Tyson was the celebrity among celebrities at the peak of his powers.
Few athletes in history have transcended their respective sports like Iron Mike did in his pomp.
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In the pre-internet days of the 1980s and 90s, a Tyson fight was a near-religious experience, an unmissable blockbuster event that brought families together around a living room TV in anticipation of one of boxing history's most feared and complicated operators delivering an inevitable knockout blow.
Back in his heyday, when he was blitzing through opponents with blistering speed and devastating power, Tyson was arguably the biggest star on the planet.
He said himself he once believed he was a “demi-God.â€
Everyone from politicians to musicians and A-list actors turned out in droves to catch a glimpse of the former undisputed heavyweight champion and his ferocious propensity for violence.
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The ringside crowd on any given Tyson fight night was a who's who of Hollywood royalty and sporting idols.
Donald Trump, Will Smith, Muhammad Ali, Pamela Anderson, Madonna, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Denzel Washington, Jack Nicholson, Michael Jordan and Sylvester Stallone all attended the brutal brawler’s bouts over the years.
However, when Tyson steps inside the ring at AT&T Stadium for his upcoming mega-fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, he will be competing in front of an entirely new generation of celebrity.
One that will likely be unfamiliar to the Baby Boomers and Gen Xers who grew up on Iron Mike fights and the drama that enveloped his personal life.
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Athletes, musicians and actors will still be in attendance at the Dallas Cowboys’ futuristic domed-shaped stadium on 20 July, but so too will the Gen Z superstars who are increasingly attracted to the glitz and glamour of professional boxing.
Jake ‘The Problem Child’ Paul’s background in Disney, Vine and YouTube means an audience very much in keeping with the modern age now firmly has their eyes on a uniquely primal sport rooted in gladiatorial combat.
Jake Paul insists he will be able to take the power of Mike Tyson's punches when the fight in the ring
The VIP guest-list for Netflix’s must-see exhibition bout this summer is yet to be announced, but the profile of Paul’s previous crowds suggest Tyson’s next contest will be an overtly 2024 occasion.
YouTubers, TikTokers, Instagram influencers, Twitch streamers and social media personalities are the usual clientele for any PPV Paul event.
Deeji, Tommy Fury, Island Boys, Addison Rae and, of course, WWE brother Logan have all been spotted soaking in the undeniably compelling extravaganza that is a Problem Child fight card.
Paul’s ascension is not an anomalous phenomenon, though - he just happens to be the poster boy for YouTubers and influencers raking in millions by settling their latest beef inside the squared circle for the eyes of the world to see.
But the reality is that even without Paul, the popularity of influencer boxing has gone stratospheric in recent years.
Misfits Boxing, a crossover boxing promotion founded by British YouTuber KSI and regularly featuring OnlyFans models and former ex Love Island contestants, recently signed an exclusive five-year partnership with sports streaming and entertainment platform, Dazn.
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The traditionalists may not appreciate it but boxing is no longer just for the sporting purists.
Rather, it is now a spectacle in a society of spectacles where commodification and celebrity are king.
Thankfully, boxing icons like Floyd Mayweather, Tyson Fury and Canelo Alvarez will always remain.
But boxing's shift to accommodate stars like Paul means it has become a product increasingly accessible to mainstream audiences who don't necessarily know - or care - about the nuances of hooks and haymakers.
Instead, they want to see their favorite personalities settle a score in the most primitive way possible.
Paul is an undeniably polarizing figure but he has captured the zeitgeist and helped reinsert boxing back to the forefront of cultural and sporting discourse.
Tyson, unlike some of his contemporaries, recognised that early on, and has continued to embrace boxing's ever-changing landscape.
The former 'Baddest Man on the Planet' identified that Paul was "going to save boxing as long as he continues to fight," and now he will go head-to-head with him in a professionally sanctioned contest.
The 57-year-old hasn't been in the ring for over four years and will be 30 years his opponent's senior when he steps onto the canvas in Arlington, Texas in little over two months.
Whether he wins or loses is largely irrelevant.
What matters is we will all be there, glued to the TV, just like the fans of yesteryear watching Iron Mike.
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And just like years ago, the rich and famous - albeit of a different kind - will be clamouring for the hottest ticket in town for the chance to see a legend at work.
Because after all, a Mike Tyson fight, even after all these years, is still an unmissable event.
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