IN a display far more spectacle than spectacular, Jake Paul easily trounced 58-year-old legendary Mike Tyson via unanimous decision late Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in one of the most improbable matchups in the sport’s history.
All three judges ruled the fight in favour of Paul, with scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.
The win improves Paul’s professional record to 11-1 while dropping Tyson to 50-7.
“He’s exactly what I thought, one of the greatest to ever do it,” Paul said after the fight.
It was a bout that paired two celebrities known far more for their personalities than their current athletic abilities.
For 60 seconds, it looked like Tyson might thrill the packed AT&T Stadium crowd in Arlington, Texas, with a performance reminiscent of his heyday in the ’80s and early ’90s. But for the next 15 minutes, plus some breaks for deep breaths, he looked exactly like a man nearing his 60th birthday who hadn’t fought a professional boxing match in 19 years, landing just 18 total punches.
Paul spent much of the fight dancing around Tyson with his arms arrogantly low, taunting the legendary knockout artist to come close. But Tyson never built up any offence, gradually turning more and more into a statue while Paul pieced him up with fluid combinations and sharp left hooks.
Afterwards, Paul said it was an honour to share the ring with Tyson and called the former champion the GOAT.
As for the exhausted Tyson, he said he was “totally happy” with his performance while admitting he went into the fight with an injury. He refused to elaborate. He also said that he might like to fight again, and offered to fight Paul’s brother, Logan Paul, who was standing in the ring. Logan Paul, a WWE wrestler who had an exhibition with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2021, shot back a puzzled look and a quick retort: “I’ll kill you, Mike.”
Still, the card featured one of the most exciting women’s boxing matches in history in the co-main event between rematching rivals Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. After Taylor won the pair’s first match in April 2022, she won the rematch with a controversial unanimous decision, setting up a potentially thrilling trilogy. Serrano tearfully pledged to keep chasing big moments for her sport.
Hardly anyone, conversely, will be calling for a rematch of the main event between Paul and Tyson. The louder calls will almost certainly be for Tyson to step away from the ring for good. And, perhaps, for Paul to fight legitimate competitors who are active in the sport.
Despite improving to 11-1, he didn’t call out any new opponents but did say that he was the route for boxers to make big paydays, and repeated his claim that he could deliver that even to Canelo Alvarez, who is perhaps the sport’s most bankable star right now.
Eighteen-Eleven Media