Boxing purists might not take the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight seriously, but there is some serious money being wagered on Friday’s eight-round bout.
A Caesars Sportsbook bettor in Michigan wagered $1 million to win $454,000 on Paul (-220) to beat Tyson, who moved from a +180 underdog to +190 on Friday morning.
“This will be our largest handle boxing event since Mayweather/McGregor (although it won’t come anywhere close to that),” Westgate SuperBook vice president of risk Jeff Sherman said Friday in a text message. “Larger wagers on Paul. Ticket count heavily favored toward Tyson. Very comparable to a high-profile NFL game.”
The Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight in 2017 generated an estimated betting handle, or amount of money wagered, of $100 million, including six bets of at least $1 million.
“Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight is on track to be the most-bet boxing match in BetMGM history,” BetMGM senior trader Alex Rella said. “We are starting to see action on Paul but Tyson is still popular with bettors.
“The worst result would be a first-round knockout by Iron Mike.”
Tyson is 12-1 at BetMGM, which was founded in 2018, to win the fight in the first round.
Tyson is +190 at BetMGM to win the fight in the three-way line after opening at +275. Paul is -200 after opening at -275. A draw is 10-1 after opening at 9-1.
“Solid stream of Tyson tickets. 14-1 in favor of Tyson tickets. Money is about 3-1 in favor of Tyson,” MGM Resorts director of trading Lamarr Mitchell said. “Most of the larger five-figure wagers have been on Paul. At this rate as of now, we need Paul to win.”
Former world heavyweight champion Tyson is 58 and his last professional fight was 19 years ago. Paul is a 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer. The boxing match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys, will be streamed live on Netflix and shown for free at sportsbooks.
The sanctioned fight will feature eight two-minute rounds (instead of the standard three-minute rounds) and 14-ounce gloves (instead of the standard 10-ounce gloves). It will count against Tyson’s career record of 50-6 with 44 knockouts.
The SuperBook has taken multiple five-figure wagers on Paul and needs him to beat Tyson, who has dropped from +235 at the book Monday to +226.
“Circus or not, people loving this #TysonPaul ‘fight,’” SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay posted Friday on X (@JayKornegay). “As expected, most (87% of tickets) siding with Mike but the overall money is very balanced. What’s that telling you?”
Circus or not, people loving this #TysonPaul “fight”. As expected, most (87% of tickets) siding with Mike but the overall money is very balanced. What’s that telling you?
— Jay Kornegay (@JayKornegay) November 15, 2024
Kornegay said Monday that “as far as educated bettors out there, I know they favor Jake Paul.”
The action is also heavy at Station Sports, where Paul has plummeted from a -330 favorite to -240, with Tyson at +190.
“The handle’s phenomenal,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “It’s really hard to believe it’s generating so much handle.”
The total has shot up from 4½ at Circa Sports to 5½ (over -145).
ESPN reported that DraftKings, which doesn’t operate in Nevada, took two $500,000 bets on Paul.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at [email protected]. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
