Everyone is saying the same thing after boxing legend Mike Tyson, 58, limped to Gen Z YouTuber Jake Paul, 27, in a Netflix freak show fight that sent the internet into a frenzy
It was one of the most highly anticipated boxing matches of the year, but the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight turned out to be a huge disappointment, with everyone coming to the same conclusion.
Tyson certainly looked like a 58-year-old when he lost to Paul by unanimous decision in front of 70,000 people at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday.
Slow and stiff, he staggered around the ring failing to make an impact outside the first 30 seconds – mainly because his right knee was in a brace.
Many wondered why a man of Tyson’s age and fitness was allowed to compete in such an event against a much younger and fitter 27-year-old.
While others attacked Gen Z YouTuber Paul for taking the money, before easily knocking over his much older rival, with some calling it ‘elder abuse’.
Among the celebrities and fans around the world who decried the fight, MMA star Conor McGregor gave a somber assessment of the occasion in a now-deleted tweet.
‘A 16-minute sparring in sparring gloves. Fuck off,’ said the Irishman.
WBA light middleweight champion Terence Crawford added: “I love Mike Tyson, but they give him too much credit. He looked like trash, to train for so long and only throw 97 punches, the whole fight is crazy. I’m just glad he didn’t get hurt there.”
After an embarrassing eight-round fight, Jake Paul defeated former champion Mike Tyson
English boxer Tony Bellew gave Paul some credit while recognizing Tyson’s shortcomings: ‘I don’t like this stupid idiot boy, but I will say this. He stopped hitting Mike right there and showed him some respect and dignity by letting him survive!
Bellew continued: “He didn’t go for the KO, that’s where he got off him and left him alone. Mike, we all love you King, you are a superhero to all of us from the real fighting world!”
NBA icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson wrote: “Just sad. 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 wasn’t great for boxing.’
American journalist Shea Serrano joked about how the fight looked compared to the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano fight that immediately preceded it, saying, “Going from the Taylor-Serrano fight to the Paul-Tyson fight is like going watching the super bowl and then immediately after the super bowl you saw two people playing paper football on a table at Denny’s at three in the morning.”
Former U.S. women’s soccer player Sydney Leroux simply tweeted: “Pathetic in every way.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy tweeted: “Thanks to Jake Paul + Mike Tyson for pulling off one of the biggest cons of the century. I should have put 10 million on Jake. Not because he’s good, but because he fought an old man. I’d say everyone involved should be ashamed, but I’d take the money if I could.’
New York radio legend Mike Francesa tweeted: “Anyone who had anything to do with that Tyson/Paul debacle owes the public an apology. What a mess.’
Many personalities from the sports world were quick to cover the battle and the fighters
Before the fight started, podcaster and UFC ringside personality Joe Rogan tweeted, “I’m preparing to watch this Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight like I’m watching someone cast a spell that I hope actually works. And I don’t really believe in magic. But I want to believe.’
After the fight ended, Rogan simply replied to himself, saying, “Magic isn’t real.”
After the fight, WBA lightweight belt holder Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis posted a tribute to Tyson on his Instagram Story, saying: ‘You will always be a legend. [sic] You either love it or you don’t and it will never be the same again! And I understand you so well. All these things mean nothing.”
He also went on to trash Paul, saying, “To the bozo who shared the ring with Mike… you are a total bozo for this and you didn’t get the job done. [poop emoji] head..’
YouTuber, rapper and boxer KSI also posted on his Instagram Story: “What a sad watch. It was all sad. Mike Tyson is twice as old as Jake Paul ffs. It would never EVER be close. I can’t believe this elder abuse was even punished. Just disgusting.’
For all the pomp and excitement that the promotion to this match promised, the payoff failed in truly spectacular fashion.
According to CompuBox, Tyson finished the fight with just 97 punches, compared to Paul’s 278. What’s even worse is that ‘Iron Mike’ only landed 18, while he took 78 punches from the man 31 years his junior.
In his heyday, Tyson’s bread and butter was body shots. In this fight he only took four body blows while eating twenty from Paul.
Other boxers and martial arts veterans reacted negatively to the evening’s events
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson embrace at the end of their highly anticipated fight
Still, the 58-year-old appeared to indicate in the ring that he would like to fight Jake’s brother, former boxer and current WWE superstar Logan Paul. Older brother Paul responded, “I would kill you, Mike.”
Although it was an embarrassment to the sport of boxing, it proved to be a huge payday for Netflix and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions – who reported a gate of $17.8 million (£14.1 million).
But it’s not like Netflix’s presentation went smoothly. Tens of thousands of customers reported issues with slow streams and buffering during the fight and even in the undercard fights.
Even the broadcast team itself had problems: boxer Evander Holyfield couldn’t hear presenter Kate Scott’s questions. Additionally, while interviewing Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, his microphone cut out while he was speaking.
