In his first professional fight in almost two decades, American Mike Tyson disappointed on Friday night by suffering a resounding defeat against Jake Paul, a YouTuber converted to a boxer.
Tyson, 58, was a shadow of the boxer who spread terror in the rings in the 1980s and was barely able to protect himself from the blows of Paul, 27, during the eight rounds at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Texas).
The fight did not live up to the enormous expectations it raised. More than 72,000 spectators attended the stadium of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and a potential audience of millions of people followed it live on Netflix, which for the first time broadcast a boxing evening.
The fight, however, also had numerous critics who warned of the risks that Tyson was going to take, who already in May suffered an “ulcer outbreak” during a flight that forced this fight to be postponed.
The former heavyweight champion disdained his opponents but, once in the ring, he could barely defend himself from the attacks of Jake, a popular figure on social networks who in 2020 began a boxing career in which he has 11 victories in 12 fights. .
Paul exploited his greater agility and leg speed to clearly win on all three scorecards: 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.
Tyson, 58, showed signs of the passing of the years from the start of the fight, even though he avoided a right hook from his opponent with a movement of the waist.
Paul, 27, took advantage of his speed in the second round to go in and out with the jab to stay away from the once devastating blows of the former heavyweight champion.
In the third round, ‘Iron’ Mike’s slowness worsened, Jake connected with a couple of lefts that shook his head.
The fourth round showed off the heavyweight legend, with his guard tied against the ‘influencer’ who seemed to indulge him so as not to hurt him.
The veteran born in Fort Greene, New York maintained his attitude in the sixth and seventh. Guard up, without energy to fight.
Paul did not press. He scored again and again with the jab, at an average of five to one for his rival who was noticeably panting between each round.
In the eighth and final round it was more of the same, with both boxers pacing around the ring. Jake Paul landed 97 punches against 18 from Tyson throughout the fight.
‘Iron’ Mike retired from professional boxing in 2005 with a record of 50 wins, 44 of them by quick knockout and six losses.
In Paul’s boxing career, which began in 2018, he has 10 wins, seven by knockout, and one loss.
Tyson’s purse for the fight was $20 million, with Paul earning $40 million.
The fight was heavily promoted and streamed on Netflix, a video-on-demand platform with more than 280 million subscribers worldwide that generated nearly $34 billion in revenue last year.
| Category | Fight | Final results |
|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson | Jake Paul def. Mike Tyson via unanimous decision 80-72 79-73 79-73 |
| Light-welterweight | Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano | Katie Taylor def. Amanda Serrano via unanimous decision (95-94, 95-94, 95-94) |
| Welterweight | Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos | Mario Barrios (c) vs Abel Ramos - split draw decision for the WBC welterweight title (114-112 116-110 113-113) |
| Super middleweight | Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes | Neeraj Goyat def. Whindersson Nunes via unanimous decision (59-55 60-54 60-54) |
| Women’s super middleweight | Shadasia Green vs. Melinda Watpool | Shadasia Green def. Melinda Watpool via majority decision (97-93 94-96 96-94) |
| Super lightweight | Lucas Bahdi vs. Armando Casamonica | Lucas Bahdi def. Armando Casamonica via majority decision (95-95 96-93 98-92) |
| Featherweight | Bruce Carrington vs. Dana Coolwell | Bruce Carrington def. Dana Coolwell via unanimous decision (80-70 80-70 80-70) |
PREVIEW
Originally planned for the month of July, the card had to be postponed due to Tyson’s health problems with the ulcer. Paul, 27, is the favorite going into the fight against Tyson, 58, who must pass a series of pre-fight tests to be cleared for the bout.
It will be Tyson’s first fight since his TKO loss to Kevin McBride in 2005, while Paul is coming off a victory over Mike Perry in July of this year to take his record to 10 wins and one loss.
“The time for talking is over,” said Tyson, who left the stage upset.
AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, will host the event and an attendance of 80,000 people is expected.
The fight marks a turning point for the Netflix streaming service, which will broadcast a boxing event worldwide and completely live for the first time.
Contenido GEC