Jake Paul Shocks the World: Unbelievable Victory Over Mike Tyson

In one of the most improbable matchups in the sport’s history, social media star Jake Paul defeated legendary boxer Mike Tyson via unanimous decision. The fight took place late Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul face off during their fight at AT&T Stadium. (Al Bello / Getty Images for Netflix)

The Fight and Its Outcome

All three judges ruled the fight in favor 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. After the fight, Paul said, "He's exactly what I thought, one of the greatest to ever do it." When asked if he was officially done boxing, Tyson responded, "I don't think so. Maybe the brother (Logan Paul)."

Paul, 27, a social media star with more than 27 million Instagram followers and nearly 21 million YouTube subscribers, cruised in the bout. After a first round that saw Tyson aggressive, his age caught up to him. Tyson appeared slow for most of the fight and barely landed any significant punches. His offensive output dropped considerably from the mid-rounds on. The much younger Paul peppered his opponent with jabs and hooks throughout the bout while taking little damage. Paul was asked after the fight who he wants next. “Anyone I want,” Paul said. “Everyone is next on the list.”

Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson - FULL FIGHT Highlights 😱🥊 @Netflix

Fight Highlights by Round

Round 1: Tyson starts fast, coming out aggressive and initiating clinches. He lands a left jab and an overhand right. Paul throws a jab and a nice overhand right, making it a tight first round with plenty of action.
Round 2: Action settles down. Paul shows good movement to avoid Tyson's punches and lands a body shot and an uppercut. The crowd chants Tyson's name, but he does little damage.
Round 3: A big round for Paul. Tyson comes out aggressive, but Paul wobbles him with a short right. Paul dominates the round, peppering Tyson with shots.
Round 4: Tyson starts to show his age, appearing much slower than Paul. Paul settles into a rhythm, landing nice jabs. Tyson's offensive output decreases, and he appears gassed.
Round 5: Paul remains in full control, landing a body shot followed by a right hand just before the bell. Tyson looks slow and isn't doing much offensively, though he lands a short left hook.
Round 6: Another round for Paul. Paul's conditioning is on another level compared to Tyson's. He uses his jab to break down Tyson.
Round 7: Tyson comes out ultra-aggressive, but Paul lands a right to the head and follows with a body shot. He connects with another jab, a straight right, and an uppercut. Tyson takes the shots but lacks the conditioning to keep up.
Round 8: The fight goes the distance. Paul opens with jabs and eats a punch from Tyson. More jabs follow. Tyson lands a short right hook. The crowd boos due to a lack of action.

Jake Paul lands a punch against Mike Tyson.

Read also: The Unlikely Bond

Backgrounds of Tyson and Paul

Tyson, 58, is known as one of the best - and most intimidating - boxers ever. He opened his professional career with 19 straight finishes, 12 of which came in the first round. He later knocked out Trevor Berbick at the age of 20 to become the youngest heavyweight champion ever. Tyson reigned over the division from 1987 to 1990, claiming and retaining the WBA, WBC, and IBF belts en route to a 37-0 start. His first career loss was a 10th-round knockout defeat to Buster Douglas in 1990 in what is considered the greatest upset in boxing history. Tyson returned to the ring 20 times since that defeat, going 13-5 with two "no contests." He has not competed since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005. He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011.

Paul made his professional debut in 2020. He has wins that include former UFC stars Ben Askren, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz and Mike Perry. His lone loss is a split decision last year against boxer Tommy Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Controversies and Criticisms

Many criticized Paul for fighting Tyson due to the significant age difference. The 31-year age difference between Tyson and Paul is the largest age difference in professional boxing history. Former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland criticized Paul on X, stating, "this should be illegal" and called Paul a clown, with former Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis agreeing. Fellow YouTuber-turned-boxer KSI described the bout on Instagram as "elderly abuse".

Other Fights on the Card

In the co-main event, Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano via unanimous decision (95-94 on all three judges cards). The bout, a rematch from their epic first meeting, was another instant classic that saw 324 landed punches.

Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano in their co-main event fight.

Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano Fight Highlights

Round 1: Serrano nearly dropped Taylor, saved by the bell. Serrano landed a clean overhand left early and another one later in the round that buckled Taylor.
Round 2: Taylor bounces back, landing a few nice combinations against Serrano.
Round 3: A close round. Serrano landed a straight left, but Taylor didn't back down. Both fighters landed nice combinations. Serrano clearly has the power advantage.
Round 4: All action. Both fighters exchange punches at close distance. Serrano clinches with Taylor and connects on a couple of short shots. Blood is coming from the right eye of Serrano from a headbutt.
Round 5: Taylor doesn't back down from Serrano's pressure. Both fighters immediately enter the clinch. Good body shot by Serrano. Blood is spewing out of Serrano's right eye from the earlier headbutt.
Round 6: Fight paused briefly for cut. The action was stopped shortly after starting because a punch by Taylor opened up the cut above Serrano's right eye. Both fighters land punches at close range.
Round 7: Incredible back-and-forth battle. Huge exchanges from both fighters open the round. Both Serrano and Taylor landing hard shots. Serrano gets aggressive and attacks the body.
Round 8: Ref takes a point from Taylor for headbutts. Serrano lands a nice left to Taylor's head and now goes at the body. An accidental headbutt by Taylor causes the ref to give her a warning and then take a point.
Round 9: Another wild round. Both fighters going at it at close range. Big combo by Serrano, huge right by Taylor.
Round 10: Instant classic. Both fighters laying it all out there. The entire final round was punches from Taylor and Serrano, most of which landed. Blood is everywhere.

Event Sanctioning and Rules

The bout between Paul and Tyson was sanctioned as a professional bout by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations, with some regulations based on masters boxing for amateur participants over 35. The bout was eight rounds of two minutes each (two minute rounds are used in women's and amateur masters boxing) with 14-ounce gloves (slightly lighter than the masters boxing rule of 16 ounces). Because it is sanctioned, the result will count in their records.

Streaming Issues

Though the card had great fights throughout, fans online complained about constant buffering issues for the stream. Netflix has been criticized for widespread technical difficulties that plagued the event's livestream. Many viewers tuning in were unable to watch the fight due to buffering.

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