Before the fight, Paul had said confidently, “I’m here to make $40m and knock out a legend.”
Paul was the bookmakers’ favorite going into the bout, with odds of 2/5. With a draw priced at 9/1, Tyson was positioned at 12/5.
The fight’s rules were different from those of regular professional fights approved by boxing federations; the gloves were 14 ounces instead of 10 ounces,
The rounds were two minutes instead of three, and there were eight rounds instead of the customary twelve.
Paul had a perfect record of 10-1 going into the match, having only lost to Tommy Fury. Iron Mike had a 50-6-2 record and hadn’t competed professionally in 20 years.
