Boxing
Jake Paul-Mike Tyson expected to drive record betting
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson’s made-for-Netflix fight on Friday night has oddsmakers anticipating record wagering for a boxing match.
“We expect the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight to be the most bet on boxing match in BetMGM history,” senior trader Alex Rella said.
Paul, 27, will step into the ring against the 58-year-old Tyson at 8 p.m. ET on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight was rescheduled from July 20 because Tyson had an ulcer flare-up in late May.
Jake Paul attends a news conference, ahead of a sanctioned professional fight versus Mike Tyson which is set to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20, in New York City, U.S., May 13, 2024. REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado/File Photo
Paul, the YouTube star turned professional boxer, enters the fight with a 10-1 record that includes seven knockouts. The most recent was a sixth-round TKO of Mike Perry, who filled in for Tyson in July.
Meanwhile, Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) will fight professionally for the first time since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005. The former undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987-90, Tyson began his career with 19 consecutive wins by knockout, with 12 coming in the first round.
Friday will mark Tyson’s first bout since an exhibition in November 2020.
The Tyson-Paul bout will consist of eight two-minute rounds, instead of the regulation three-minute rounds. Also, each fighter will use 14-ounce gloves instead of the standard 10 ounces to limit punching power.
Paul is the heavy favorite at most sportsbooks. That includes DraftKings, where he has been backed by 64 percent of the money at -275. Tyson has drawn 66 percent of the total bets at +210, with the book setting the Over/Under for total rounds at 5.5.
Tyson has been the more popular play at BetMGM, where his odds have shifted from +275 to +188 while being backed by 59 percent of the bets and 76 percent of the money. Meanwhile, Paul’s odds have shifted from -275 to -190 since the market opened.
The most popular prop has been a Tyson win by KO/TKO or disqualification at +250, followed by a Tyson win on points at +1100.
“Bettors want to see Paul get knocked out and love Tyson as an underdog,” Rella said. “The book will be rooting for Paul to win.”
The most-bet fight in BetMGM history was Gervonta Davis’ win by TKO over Ryan Garcia in April 2023, followed by Paul’s unanimous decision victory over Nate Diaz in August of that year. Paul has six of the top 25 most-bet boxing matches in the book’s history.-Reuters
U.S. immigration authorities have arrested Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Los Angeles and plan to deport him, they said on Thursday, just days after he lost a high-profile bout to American rival Jake Paul.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Chavez was determined to be in the country illegally last week after he made fraudulent statements on a 2024 application for permanent residence. He is married to a U.S. citizen, it said.
Michael Goldstein, a lawyer for Chavez, said more than two dozen immigration agents arrested the boxer at his home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“The current allegations are outrageous and appear to be designed as a headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said.
Homeland Security said that the 39-year-old boxer, son of Mexican world champion fighter Julio Cesar Chavez, is suspected of ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington has designated a foreign terrorist organization.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. speaks at press conference in anticipation of his fight against Jake Paul at Avalon Hollywood Theater. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images/File Photo
His wife, Frida Munoz Chavez, was previously married to the son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. The son, Edgar, was assassinated in 2008.
Chavez is the target of a Mexican arrest warrant on allegations of involvement in organized crime and firearms trafficking, DHS said.
In Mexico, Chavez’ family said in a statement they “fully trust in his innocence.”
Chavez lost to influencer-turned-boxer Paul, 28, last weekend before a sold-out crowd in Anaheim, California, in a unanimous decision after 10 rounds.
He was allowed to enter the United States temporarily in early January under former President Joe Biden, DHS said. He had previously overstayed a tourist visa, it said.
The agency said Chavez was convicted in Los Angeles in 2024 on weapons charges. Goldstein denied he was convicted, saying he pleaded not guilty and was granted mental health diversion which will result in dismissal of the charges.
Chavez won the WBC middleweight championship in 2011, but lost the title the next year.
His career has been overshadowed by controversies including a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in 2009 and a fine and suspension after testing positive for marijuana in 2013.
His record stands at 54 wins, six losses and one draw, with 34 knockouts.
Reporting by Brendan O’Brien and Bhargav Acharya, Lizbeth Diaz, Angelica Medina, Diego Ore and Kylie Madry in Mexico City, Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Berkrot
-Reuters
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Manny Pacquiao will come out of retirement to face Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship on July 19 in Las Vegas, the 46-year-old Filipino boxer said on Wednesday.
Pacquiao is the only boxer to win world championships in a record eight weight divisions while he was also the oldest welterweight world champion in history at the age of 40 in 2019.
A Filipino senator from 2016 to 2022, Pacquiao had retired from boxing in 2021 while he also ran for president in 2022.
“I’m back. On July 19, I return to the ring to face WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Let’s make history,” Pacquiao wrote on Instagram.
The southpaw, who has 62 wins, eight losses and two draws in a 72-fight career, was also elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
Barrios, a Mexican-American boxer, has 29 wins in 32 bouts, winning 18 by knockout and losing twice.
-Reuters
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The body of Segun Olanrewaju, the Nigerian boxer who slumped and died in the ring in Ghana on Saturday is still in a mortuary in Ghana. The President of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Dr Rafiu Oladipo, informed Sports Village Square that an autopsy will be conducted on Wednesday.
He said that the NBB of C is closely monitoring the events in Ghana, even as the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade has asked for updates on the sad incident.
On Monday, a delegation of the NBB of C visited the family of the late boxer in Sango Otta in Ogun State. Oladipo said he was still in shock at the death of the boxer who he considered fit having fought last December 29.
He revealed that one of the members of the Nigerian delegation to Ghana stayed behind to follow up on the autopsy.
He narrated that the late boxer took part on Thursday in the mandatory weigh-in which is normally conducted 24 hours before a fight. Additionally, a medical check-up is also to be conducted.
“But in this instance, there was no medical check. On this ground, Oladipo blamed the Ghana Boxing Authority.
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