On Friday, Nov. 15, roughly 65 million households tuned in to watch famous YouTuber and former Disney Channel actor Jake Paul fight one of the most accomplished former heavyweight champions, Mike Tyson. There was just one problem: the two fighters were 31 years apart in age.
Before the match, rules were made to adjust for Tyson’s age, with only a total of eight rounds at two minutes each, as opposed to the usual 10 to 12 for three minutes each. The fighters were also equipped with 14-ounce gloves instead of the usual heavyweight standard 10-ounce.
Tyson’s last professional fight was in 2005 at age 39, and it ended in a humiliating loss to journeyman fighter and huge underdog Kevin McBride. This caused some people to have reservations about the fight between Tyson and Paul.
Despite conventional wisdom suggesting that a 58-year-old man would have no chance against a 27-year-old in the prime of his career, the public backed Tyson to win the fight. Paul was listed as a -225 favorite by ESPN BET, yet 90% of the wagers placed on the fight were on him to win.
The fight was largely a disappointment to fans looking for a close match. Paul won on unanimous decision after eight rounds of Tyson looking very much like a 58-year-old man. The first two rounds included some decent back-and-forth action as both fighters managed to land some hits, but after that, Tyson was spent. He spent the rest of the fight highly defensive and looking to survive rather than throwing punches, while Paul hammered him with jabs and the occasional uppercut. According to the CompuBox Punch Stats, Tyson only threw 97 punches in eight rounds compared to Paul’s 278. On top of that, Paul landed 78 punches to only 18 for Tyson.
After the fight was over, multiple celebrities and famous athletes vocalized their distaste for the fight.
“Just sad, somehow. I cut it off because I couldn’t watch anymore. It’s sad to see Mike Tyson like this because I went to every Tyson fight. This fight tonight was not great for boxing,” former NBA player and fellow 1980s sports legend Magic Johnson said via Twitter/X.
However, Tyson showed no regret following the match and was pleased with what he accomplished in the ring.
“I didn't prove nothing to anybody, only to myself. I'm not one of those guys that look to please the world. I'm just happy with what I can do,” Tyson said to ESPN.
Though there were many words said leading up to the fight, Paul showed respect following the match.
“He's a legend. He's the greatest to ever do it. He's the GOAT. I look up to him. I'm inspired by him, and we wouldn't be here without him. He's an icon. He's the toughest man on the planet,” Paul said.
With one of the most famous fighters battling one of the most polarizing social figures on television, the fight quickly became one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. Unfortunately, Netflix, who acquired exclusive streaming rights to the bout, was ill-prepared to handle the volume of viewership. More than 100,000 viewers reported streaming issues leading up to and during the fight, according to the Downdetector website, with others undoubtedly suffering.
It remains unlikely that Tyson will return to the ring professionally after Friday’s fight. Conversely, Jake Paul is using the win over Tyson, his fame and his influence to leverage future bouts against noteworthy fighters, including Canelo Alvarez and Connor McGregor.
Ultimately, the fight between Paul and Tyson illustrates the famous quote made by Rocky Balboa in the film Creed when asked by Donnie Creed how he defeated Apollo.
“Apollo? Yeah, he was great. Perfect fighter. Ain't nobody ever better. Time beat him. Time, you know, takes everybody out. It's undefeated,” Rocky said.
While Paul may have defeated Tyson, it was Father Time whose record remained untouchable.
Photo Courtesy of Johann-Walter