It was billed as one of the biggest, most controversial boxing matches of all time. On the night, though, Mike Tyson and Jake Paul failed to live up to the hype after the YouTuber ended eight uneventful rounds by showing his respect to the veteran boxer.
Paul, 27, was widely criticized for choosing to fight Tyson, who is 58 and had not fought professionally in 19 years.
Those hoping for a triumphant Tyson comeback were left deflated, as the former champion came up short on points (80-72, 79-73, 79-73).
During the fight, neither man successfully knocked the other to the ground. The rounds were a short two minutes, rather than the standard three, meaning the pair were only trading blows for a total of 16 minutes.
“I wanted the shorter rounds because I wanted more action,” Tyson said at a press conference in May 2024. “If we only have two minutes, we’ll fight more.”
On Twitter/X, numerous fans vented their frustration over the bout, which ended with Paul bowing to his friend and former mentor.
“I just wasted my life on this trash fight,” one angry spectator wrote.
“The loser of this #PaulTyson fight was Netflix,” wrote another.
“Waste of time, staged, and sad,” a third person said.
“Most disappointing fight on the whole card,” a fourth added.
In Friday evening’s co-main event, Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano in their rematch in what developed into another classic following the Puerto Rican’s gruesome cut following a headbutt from the Irishwoman.
“Not sure what I expected, but #PaulVsTyson was a complete joke and waste of time. Sad. Especially after two great bouts right before on the undercard,” a fifth person wrote on X.
While the fight purses have not been officially disclosed, Paul claimed at a press conference in August: “I’m here to make $40m and knock out a legend.”
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Tyson will earn approximately $20m, according to friend and former UFC champion Henry Cejudo.
The result moved Paul to 11-1 as a pro, as he built upon numerous wins over mixed martial arts stars and lesser-known boxers.
The fight was Tyson’s first pro outing since 2005, when he was knocked out by Kevin McBride, although he boxed Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition as recently as 2020.
On the night, numerous viewers complained about Netflix’s livestream, with many encountering buffering issues throughout the fight.
Netflix declined The Independent’s request for comment about the buffering issues.
Audio issues also plagued the commentary team as Evander Holyfield appeared unable to hear presenter Kate Abdo through his earpiece. Later, Jerry Jones had to borrow Michael Irvin’s microphone after his broke.
The fight played out in front of 70,000 fans at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and millions of viewers at home.