Jake Paul is risking his whole fight purse on bets with other fighters, meaning he could walk away with nothing if he loses to Mike Tyson.
After months of speculation, and plenty of concern, Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson is finally within reach. The card has been set, the weigh-ins conducted, and the final press conference was held to create some late buzz.
Throughout the build-up, Jake has been seen as the betting favorite. He’s got youth and speed on his side, and that’s before you get into ‘Iron’ Mike’s well-documented pre-fight health issues. However, plenty of fighters still back the 58-year-old to get the job done.
That includes a number of fighters on the card, like Katie Taylor and Neeraj Goyat, who’ve agreed to bet with Jake and back Tyson.
Taylor, who faces Amanda Serrano in the co-main event, even managed to get Jake to wager his whole fight purse on their side bet. “Do you want to bet your purse?” the Irish fighter asked Jake.
“Yeah, let’s bet the purse. Deal,” he quickly responded, shaking Taylor’s hand before heading back to his own podium.
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As noted, Jake also made a number of $1m bets with other fighters on the card, including Goyat.
Other fighters weren’t so up for putting their money where their mouths are, rejecting the offer or putting down smaller amounts. One fighter, Dana Coolwell, offered Jake a $20 bet on a Tyson win.
“I’m following up on all this s*it,” the ‘Problem Child’ said after dishing out handshakes. “And I’m sending out contracts too!”
Jake has said a few times that he’s being paid $40m by Netflix to fight Tyson. That seemingly doesn’t include any bonuses. So, it could be an even better night for him if he scores the win.