Mike Tyson’s much-anticipated return to the boxing ring after nearly two decades came up short against You Tuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul, who won a unanimous decision Friday night at AT&T Stadium.
Even though Tyson had a lot of fans, the fight showed that Father Time has never lost. As the eight two-minute rounds went on, Tyson, 58, struggled to make any kind of offensive moves as Paul, 27, hit him with jabs over and over again.
The judges gave Paul the win with scores of 80–72, 79–73, and 79–73.
The fight, which was Netflix’s first live sports event, may have been more show than substance, but it was a spectacular one that hooked fans of all ages and drew famous people like Shaquille O’Neal, Evander Holyfield, Joe Jonas, and Charlize Theron.
Paul drove into the ring in a green car with his brother Logan sitting next to him and a caged pigeon in the backseat.
Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” was playing in the background, which was a subtle dig at Tyson because he sang part of the song in the movie “The Hangover.”
Tyson walked out to “Murdergram” by Ja Rule, Jay-Z, and DMX, which got a loud cheer from the crowd. Even though Tyson is getting close to 60 years old, the entrance was a memorable moment for everyone there.
However, that was the end of the fun.
During the final stare-down on Thursday, Paul stepped on Tyson’s foot, so Tyson hit Paul in the face.
Tyson would land one more big punch on his opponent, but that was it. After a tense first minute, Paul started to use his length to stop Tyson from coming in and scoring with body and head blows.
Tyson was out of gas by the third round and could only follow Paul around the ring and occasionally jump in to fight.
After the fight, Tyson said, “I did not prove anything to anyone, only to myself.” “I am not the type of guy who tries to make everyone happy.” “I am content with what I can do.”
During the fight, Tyson bit at his gloves, which was strange, and he wore a knee brace that made him look limited in movement and less explosive than usual.
The former heavyweight champion made a name for himself by being strong and scary. Paul had to respect him for that.
Paul said, “He is a big deal.” “He did it better than anyone else.” He is the GOAT. I admire him. He makes me want to do better, and we would not be here without him. He is famous. “He is the toughest guy in the world.”
After his loss to Kevin McBride on June 11, 2005, Tyson fought again. It was his first fight as a professional. He had just done well in an exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, which set up the fight with Paul.
CompuBox Punch Stats
Punches | Paul | Tyson |
---|---|---|
Total landed | 78 | 18 |
Total thrown | 278 | 97 |
Percent | 28% | 19% |
Jabs landed | 31 | 5 |
Jabs thrown | 179 | 62 |
Percent | 17% | 8% |
Power landed | 47 | 13 |
Power thrown | 99 | 35 |
Percent | 48% | 37% |
After his loss to Kevin McBride on June 11, 2005, Tyson fought again. It was his first fight as a professional. He had just done well in an exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, which set up the fight with Paul.
But Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs, 2 NCs) had a hard time scoring on Friday night, landing only 18 of 97 punches.
Paul was supposed to fight Tyson on July 20, but the fight had to be pushed back because Tyson got an ulcer while on a plane. Paul did not wait; he fought Mike Perry, a former UFC fighter who now fights in BKFC, and won by TKO in the sixth round.
Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) could not beat Tyson, who is 31 years older than him. Instead, he moved laterally and regularly hit Tyson with jabs. Neither fighter was really in danger, and Paul stayed in charge the whole time, landing 78 of 278 punches.
“A little bit of hurt was my goal,” Paul said. “I thought he was going to hurt me.” I meant for him to get hurt. “I did my best.”
The crowd got antsy at times and booed when nothing happened. But people would chant “Tyson” and sometimes roar with approval whenever the former champion jumped forward and punched someone.
Tyson was not able to keep up with his younger opponent because he was too tired.
Tyson would not say that this was the last time he would fight, even though it was not the performance he wanted to give.
Tyson said, “I do not know,” when asked if he would fight again after the fight. “It depends on the situation.”
Tyson then looked at Logan Paul and said that a fight might be possible.
“Maybe I will fight his brother,” Tyson said.
Logan When Mike called Paul out, Paul snapped back, “I will kill you, Mike.”
Jake Paul, for his part, said that he was still trying to get a fight with Canelo Alvarez. A few years ago, the idea of fighting Tyson was seen as silly, even though it was not likely to happen. But it did.
Paul said, “Everyone is next on the list.” “Let me help Canelo. I am not even going to tell him off. He needs to get paid. “He knows where the rich person is.”
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