Mike Tyson and Jake Paul were met with a chorus of boos during the second half of their highly anticipated fight, leading to fans leaving before the winner was announced. The contentious match between the YouTube star and the 58-year-old former world heavyweight champion was a major event in Texas, with Netflix broadcasting it globally.
However, it failed to live up to the hype, with many spectators having had enough by the halfway point. By the end of the fight, the lack of reaction from the crowd as Paul was declared the winner by Unanimous Decision against ‘Iron Mike’ was telling.
The victory – 80-72 with two judges and 79-73 with the third – marked the 11th win in Paul’s 12-fight career, his only loss being against boxer and Love Island star Tommy Fury. Fans expressed disappointment at the uninspiring nature of the fight, with Tyson struggling due to a knee issue and Paul seemingly unwilling to try for a knockout, despite his corner advising him “You can stop Mike now” before the seventh round.
“Mike doesn’t have it anymore,” commented Roy Jones Jr on Netflix. “Legs are gone.”
Speaking after the fight, Paul said: “Mike Tyson, it’s such an honour. Let’s give it up for Mike, the greatest to ever do it. We wouldn’t be here without him today with him, this man is an icon”, reports the Mirror.
Paul expressed his admiration for his opponent, stating, “It’s just an honour to be able to fight him. It was really tough fight. I expected it to be.”
He continued, “He was exactly what I thought. One of the greatest to ever do it. An icon. I was trying to hurt him a little bit. I was scared he was going to hurt me. I did my best.”
The first round saw Paul utilising his youth to close the distance, land a jab, and swiftly retreat. Tyson managed to land a few solid body shots before the fighters clinched, prompting boos from the crowd.
The second round followed a similar pattern, with Paul evading Tyson’s powerful blows and clinching again.
The third round began with Tyson swinging aggressively, but Paul countered with a series of left hooks. As the round progressed, Paul’s confidence grew, and he continued to land heavy blows on a stationary Tyson, who appeared relieved when the bell sounded.
In the fourth round, both fighters missed jabs initially, but Tyson struggled to keep up with Paul’s pace. Paul picked his moments to strike, landing a significant one-two combination at the halfway point.
Tyson attempted to use vertical movement to evade Paul’s strikes, but the YouTuber remained in control, with Tyson managing to land a stiff overhand right towards the end of the round. Tyson held his own in the sixth round, causing Paul to retreat from each attempted hit.
The seventh saw both fighters exchanging powerful blows, culminating in Tyson landing a headshot. However, by the final round, the fight was essentially over, with Tyson slow to rise from his corner stool.
His once-famous power seemed diminished, and as the bell rang, the two fighters shared an embrace.
