Perspective
The popular streaming service platform Netflix reported that they would be considering streaming a boxing match involving Jake Paul. This would be the third time that Netflix broadcasts a major live sports event, the first two times being the Netflix Cup, which featured Formula 1 racing as well as NFL’s Christmas Day games.
The audience was left skeptical about who Jake Paul, 27 years old, would be fighting until March 7, 2024, when Netflix made the announcement that Paul would be fighting no other than the heavyweight champion and retired fighter, Mike Tyson, 58 years old. The original set date for the bout was announced for July 20, 2024 and would take place at the AT&T stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The announcement raised an enormous outcry from fans of Paul and Tyson alike, with the majority leaning towards the possibility of seeing the infamous problem child get wiped by Iron Mike Tyson himself. The contrast of fighters and bitter rivalry between the boxing fan base behind Tyson’s legacy and Paul’s massive social media led the nation to wait eagerly. Fans witnessed what appeared to be the monster within Tyson rearing its head after years of slumber; and Paul continued his branding, spreading the news of the fight to millions of watchers worldwide.
In May, the world learned that they would have to wait longer to see the legend return to the ring, as Tyson suffered from an ulcer flare-up on a flight to Los Angeles. After advice from Tyson’s doctors to slow down the training for the best recovery, the fight was postponed to Nov. 15, allowing both fighters the proper chance to reach peak health and training needed for the match to unfold.
The wait continued, with Tyson seemingly making a full recovery and resuming his intense training in the extended months leading up until Nov. 15. Netflix reached record numbers, attracting over 108 million viewers worldwide and peaking at a concurrent 65 million streams.
The two also experienced their rivalry coming to a peak during the weigh-in the previous day. When Paul stepped on Tyson’s toes, Tyson returned the favor by slapping Paul, and said he was “in a lot of pain, and had to reciprocate.”
On match day, the audience would be forced to wait in anticipation for three matches before the main event. Katie Taylor faced Amanda Serrano for the lightweight title, Mario Barros took on Abel Ramos for World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight title and Shadasia Green fought Melinda Watpool for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) middleweight title. The crowned champions for these battles were Taylor, Barros and Green, respectively.
After the preliminary events took place, the moment had finally arrived after over a year of anticipation. The two men entered the arena, with Paul entering with his brother, Logan Paul, to Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” and Tyson entering the ring to Murder Inc’s “Murdergram”.
Their statistics were called as the two warmed up on opposite sides of the ring. Sanctioned as a professional bout, the two would fight for up to eight rounds, with two minutes per round and following all professional rules and boundaries. No headgear was permitted, and 14 pound boxing gloves were used by the duo.
Beginning the fight with cheers from the audience, Tyson was seen throwing punches for the first and second rounds, raising hopes from the masses that they would witness Tyson’s animalistic energy in the ring for themselves. However, the animalistic energy, as well as the light from Tyson’s eyes soon faded after the second round, as Paul ran circles and continuously threw punches, most of which Tyson made no move to defend.
The total number of connected punches thrown by Paul amassed to 78 over the course of the match while Tyson only threw 18 punches. This would earn Paul the win by unanimous decision, with the scorecards being 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.
While Paul may have won the battle, other boxers and streamers have taken to social media to express their disappointment, for the age difference and the outcome of the fight. It is also now being discussed if the fight was rigged for Tyson to lose due to the massive payout that the two would be receiving for the fight.
“Genuinely depressing to watch multiple rounds go by and Mike Tyson not throw a single punch,” said Ludwig Ahren on an X post.
“This was genuinely a sad watch,” said Olajide “KSI” Williams on an Instagram story, “Mike Tyson is twice the age of Jake Paul, it was never EVER gonna be close. I can’t believe that this elderly abuse was even sanctioned.”
The fight has smashed records for views and concurrent viewers, and is now considered the most-streamed sports event in history.
