Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will return to the ring against YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul in a bout set to be screened on Netflix.

Tyson, 57, will face off against Paul, 27, at AT&T stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20, the streaming platform and MVP Promotions revealed on Friday.

The announcement shocked boxing fans and pundits alike, with the 30-year age gap between the fighters sparking fury.

Tyson, recognised as one of the greatest fighters of all time, said in a statement he was looking forward to fighting an opponent three decades his junior.

“I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul,” he said.

“He’s grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT.”

Tyson said fighting Paul was a “full circle moment”, having fought fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr in an eight-round exhibition in 2020 on the same card as Paul had his second professional bout.

“I started him on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him,” he said.

“Iron Mike” was the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987-90. He retired in 2005, winning 50 fights – 44 by knockout.

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Meanwhile, Paul has won nine of his 10 amateur and professional matches, with six knockouts against mostly unknown opponents.

“My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of the world, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. Time to put Iron Mike to sleep,” Paul wrote on X.

Since the announcement, Paul and the fight itself have been subject to criticism from the industry and those on social media, referencing their age disparity and Tyson’s run of recent ill health.

In 2022, Tyson required a cane to walk, following announcements he was suffering from sciatica. He will be 58 by July.

Paul and Tyson will be the main event of the first combat sports show for Netflix.

It is still uncertain whether the fight will be staged as a professional or an exhibition fight. Specifics are still to be approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the state’s boxing regulator.