Benjamin Ashford|Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is scheduled for July 20. But fight still must be approved

Monday being April Fool’s Day,Benjamin Ashford the boxing world complied.

"Jake Paul Officially Canceled Mike Tyson Fight After Being KO’d In Sparring" was an erroneous headline circulating on social media.

All pranks aside, what are the chances the boxing match between Tyson and Paul set for July 20 at AT&T Stadium In Arlington, Texas, gets canceled?

The fight is on the official event calendar for AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Neither fighter’s camp has indicated the event is in danger of being canceled.

"As far as I know, everything’s locked in," Joe Trahan, Director of Media Relations & Corporate Communications for the Dallas Cowboys, told USA TODAY Sports. "I haven’t heard anything else that would be otherwise."

But technically, the fight has not been approved.

That must be done by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).

"The promoter has requested to have an event that day, but we have not received any proposed (fight) cards and thus have no details about what they are planning," Tela Mange, Communications Director for the TDLR, told USA TODAY Sports by email. "All bouts are subject to review and approval by TDLR."

Requesting a date is no guarantee of a fight taking place.

"I can’t put a number to how often an event fails to happen, but it’s not uncommon," Mange said. "Promoters cancel for a variety of reasons before and after they’ve submitted cards to us."

What's next for the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight?

After the fight cards are received, Mange said, the Combative Sports staff "evaluates the fight records of the combatants to ensure fighters of approximate skills are paired fairly."

The decision on whether to sanction the fight as a professional bout, classify it as an exhibition or reject it will be made by TDLR interim Executive Director Brian E. Francis, with the input and advice of the TDLR Combative Sports staff.

Tyson, a two-time world champion, is 50-6 with 44 knockouts and has fought former champions such as Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Michael Spinks. But he has not fought professionally since 2005 and he’s 30 years older than Paul.

Paul is 9-1 with six knockouts and is coming off of two first-round knockouts. He has fought only three pro boxers and all were second-tier fighters.

Fighters must undergo the necessary medical tests and combatants over the age of 36 are required to submit favorable results from an electroencephalogram (EEG) and an electrocardiogram (EKG), according to Mange.

 An EEG is used to evaluate brain disorders and an EKG is used to detect heart problems.

"We can also request additional testing if we think it’s appropriate," Mange said.

Mange did not reply to an email asking for specifics about additional testing.

A canceled fight would not be the first for Tyson

Injuries and unforeseen circumstances have contributed to the cancellation of fights. In fact, Tyson was involved in a notable one.

In 1991, fight posters were released to promote a matchup between Tyson and Evander Holyfield.

Tyson withdrew from the fight with what a Tyson representative said was a rib injury and the bout was postponed until 1995. That’s because Tyson was convicted of rape in 1992 and served three years in prison.

Another case: In 2018, a month before Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin were set to fight, the bout was canceled after Alvarez tested positive for Clenbuterol, a banned performance-enhancing drug.

Alvarez and Golovkin fought five months later.

What about tickets for Paul-Tyson fight?

Even with an unforeseen cancellation, there would be no reason to worry about refunds yet.

Tickets for the Tyson-Paul fight are not yet on sale.

"We’re just not really sure," the Cowboys' Trahan said when asked about the ticket situation. "They do things a little differently than other teams in the past. Even those teams were different than everybody else’s."

The calendar of events does offer an ability to sign up for a pre-sale, which according to the website provides exclusive first access to tickets 48 hours before the public. 

And on March 24, Paul tweeted, "Hottest ticket ever…#PaulTyson."

For now, that seems to be more of a prediction than fact.