'A lot of eyeballs': Canada's Watpool and Bahdi aim to capitalize on viewership in Paul vs. Tyson spectacle

How did Canadian middleweight Melinda Watpool land a spot on the undercard of Nov. 15's megawatt showdown between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, on the first-ever boxing card to stream on Netflix?

She waited.

The undefeated resident of Pefferlaw, Ont., had twice received offers from Paul's company, Most Valuable Promotions, to face their middleweight prospect, Shadasia Green. Watpool turned them down twice, preferring to build her résumé against lesser-known fighters. The third time MVP came calling Watpool accepted, and now she's scheduled to face Green for the World Boxing Organization super-middleweight title at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where organizers expect more than 80,000 spectators

"I pretty much said yes right away. Yes, yes yes," said Watpool, who is 7-0 with two knockouts. "World championship. A good purse. A good card. It just seemed like everything was lining up the way we had planned and hoped for."

And how did fellow Canadian Lucas Bahdi secure his own opportunity to fight in Arlington?

He created it by knocking out Ashton Sylve, MVP's rising lightweight contender, on a Jake Paul undercard in July. That surprise win earned the Niagara Falls native a contract with Paul's company, and a spot on a fight card, broadcast on Netflix, that organizers think could attract more than 25 million streams.

"A lot of eyeballs on me now," said Bahdi, who is 17-0 with 15 knockouts, and will face undefeated Italian Armando Casamonica. "Puts me in a whole 'nother category."

Together, Watpool and Bahdi add a heavy dose of Canadian content to a fight card that could become the most-viewed boxing event in history. 

"It's a great night of boxing topped off with one of the most fascinating matchups in sports history," said