Mike Tyson has reportedly been given renewed hope of regaining his professional boxing licence in time for his fight against Jake Paul, when he will be 58 years old.
The world of boxing was shocked last month when Netflix announced they would be hosting a blockbuster fight between YouTuber Paul and former undisputed heavyweight world champion Tyson.
The 57-year-old has previously stated that the fight will be an exhibition, but there has been no official confirmation whether it will be a professional bout.
Speaking earlier this month, Paul made a request to the Boxing Commission to have the fight recognised as a professional bout.
Mike Tyson will be 58 years old when he fights Jake Paul
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And World Boxing News point towards a fight that was ratified by the Tennessee Athletic Commission last year to suggest Tyson could get his boxing licence renewed.
Scot England was granted his licence to fight in Texas at the age of 58, although he was immediately suspended by the Tennessee board after being knocked out in 47 seconds by Jashawn Hunter.
However, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation representative Tela Mange has claimed they're yet to receive information on whether Paul vs Tyson will be an exhibition or not.
He told World Boxing News: “We still have not received a card from the promoter for that particular fight, so no decisions have been made yet about whether the Tyson vs Paul event will be an exhibition or professional contest.”
If Tyson's licence is renewed, his fight against Paul would be the 57th professional bout of his career.
His record current stands at 50-6 with his last professional fight coming in a loss to Kevin McBride in 2005.
Tyson did fight four four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition four years ago.
The fight ended in a controversial split draw with an unofficial panel of judges made up of three former fighters disagreeing on scoring the bout.
Jake Paul wants the fight to be a professional bout
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Tyson has shared multiple clips of him in training getting ready for the fight in three months.
But Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan recently criticised those involved in making the fight happen for letting Tyson step back in the ring with someone half his age.
“You can be sure money’s got something to do with it," McGuigan said.
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Mike Tyson's last professional bout was 19 years ago
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"The governing body should be seriously badly reprimanded for that, getting a 57-year-old guy in to box.
"That’s just really stupid and irresponsible. He shouldn’t be near a boxing ring at 57 years old. It's just very irresponsible. It's very dangerous.
“The problem with so many of these influencers boxing is that the general public think anybody can do it.
"They can’t. That’s what annoys the professional fighters about these influencers."