Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson on points in an anti-climactic fight on Friday, as the heavyweight legend endured an unsuccessful return to boxing.
Paul, 27, was widely criticised for choosing to fight Tyson, who is 58 and had not fought professionally in 19 years. But the YouTuber-turned-boxer will only care that the result went in his favour, as he beat “Iron Mike” after eight two-minute rounds.
The fight played out in front of 70,000 fans at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and with millions of viewers watching on Netflix. It took place five months after it was initially due to, with Tyson suffering an ulcer flare-up on a plane in May, forcing the postponement of a planned July date.
And those hoping for a triumphant comeback for Tyson were left deflated, as the former champion came up short on points (80-72, 79-73, 79-73).
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. Meanwhile, 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.
Friday’s main event began with jabs from Tyson, who chased Paul around the ring, forcing the younger man to hold on. When they separated, Tyson again closed range with a strong jab, as he continued to stalk Paul and land with consistency. As Paul resorted to more holding, the first boos of the night rang out, before fans saw glimpses of Tyson’s trademark head movement.
In the second round, Paul attacked Tyson’s body then landed a grazing hook upstairs, before Tyson responded with a cleaner hook of his own. Both men landed before they clinched again, as the pace slowed.
Tyson pressed forward in round three but walked onto a body shot, then Paul added a left hook to the head and two further shots, seemingly perturbing Tyson. Paul proceeded to land a one-two and an uppercut, while Tyson tried to stay light on his feet.
But the older man looked to be feeling the weight of Paul’s punches. And in the fourth, Paul kept Tyson at bay with jabs, while Tyson appeared reluctant to throw – although he did display tidy head movement at times. Paul then landed a variety of shots as the fight crept into its second half, and as the crowd grew restless.
Fans briefly voiced excitement, however, when Tyson landed a left hook. Yet Paul was unfazed, dropping his hands to taunt Tyson. The crowd offered more boos in the sixth and seventh frames due to the increasing lack of activity, with Tyson in particular looking apprehensive to engage.
Both fighters landed left hooks in the final round, with Paul adding a stern right hook thereafter – but frankly, it looked as though the YouTuber was pulling his punches somewhat.
Paul was soon declared a unanimous-decision winner, but many fans had already filed out of AT&T Stadium by then.
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