The much-anticipated bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson did not live up to its expectations as the Youtuber-turned-boxer beat the former two-time heavyweight champion by unanimous decision on Saturday night.
The Netflix-promoted fight left 70,000 fans unamused inside the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with boos ringing round the ground and some even leaving before the outcome of the bout was announced.
However, all three judges felt Paul did enough to win the bout, as they ruled in favour of the 27-year-old with scores of 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.
Jake Paul bows to Mike Tyson at the end of the match. #PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/FUQGZVyADQ
— Netflix (@netflix) November 16, 2024
As mostly expected, Tyson looked slow, as the 58-year-old, who was fighting professionally for the first time in 19 years, barely landed any meaningful punches in the bout, which had eight rounds of two minutes each.
Meanwhile, it was much easier than expected for Paul, whose athleticism and youth played a major role in his triumph, as he landed 78 punches in the entire fight, 60 more than Tyson did.
Paul made his name by uploading prank videos online and has over 27 million Instagram followers as well as about 21 million YouTube subscribers.
His victory over Tyson marked his 11th professional win, with his current record at 11-1 following a loss to Tommy Fury last year.
Paul, who made his professional debut in 2020, has since claimed wins against former UFC stars Ben Askren, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz, and Mike Perry.
“First and foremost, Mike Tyson, it’s such an honour. Let’s give it up for Mike,” Paul said after the fight. “He’s the greatest to ever do it. He’s the GOAT, he’s a legend. I’m inspired by him and we wouldn’t be here today without him.
“This man is an icon and it’s just an honour to be able to fight him. He’s obviously the toughest, baddest man on the planet; it was really tough like I expected it to be.”
Tyson, on the other hand, dropped to 50-7 for his professional career and suffered his first pro defeat since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005, six years before he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
When asked if he was officially done boxing, Tyson said he was unsure and called out Paul’s older brother.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “Maybe the brother (Logan Paul).”
“I came to fight. I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself… I’m just happy with what I can do,” he added.
Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano via unanimous decision.
The bout, a rematch from their first meeting, provided another exhilarating display from the two female boxers, with a total of 324 punches landed.
All judges scored the fight 95-94 for Taylor, as the Irish fighter retained her undisputed light-welterweight title. She defended her IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO titles and extended her record to 24 wins and one defeat.
