The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson heavyweight professional boxing match was one of the most improbable matchups in the sport’s history, pitting YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul against former undisputed heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson.
Match Details and Results
The fight took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 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.
"He's exactly what I thought, one of the greatest to ever do it," Paul said after the fight.
Tyson was asked if he was officially done boxing. He said he wasn't sure.
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"I don't think so," Tyson said on the broadcast. "Maybe the brother (Logan Paul)."
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.
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 Fight Highlights | #PaulTyson
Fight Highlights by Round
- Round 1: Tyson comes out aggressive and they go to the clinch. Tyson lands a left jab and now an overhand right. Tight first round but plenty of action.
- Round 2: Good movement by Paul to avoid punches by Tyson and then lands a body shot. The crowd is chanting Tyson's name but little damage being done by Tyson.
- Round 3: Tyson comes out aggressive but Paul wobbles him with a short right. Paul goes on to dominate the round, peppering him with shots throughout.
- Round 4: Tyson starting to look his age as he's much slower than his far younger opponent. Tyson isn't doing much offensively and appears gassed already.
- Round 5: Tyson looks slow and he's not doing much offensively but just landed a short left hook. Paul hasn't landed any significant shots but he appears in control here.
- Round 6: Paul's conditioning is on another level compared to Tyson's. Paul is using the jab to break down Tyson.
- Round 7: Tyson comes out ultra aggressive. Paul lands a right to the head and follows with a body shot. Tyson doing a good job taking shots but he just doesn't have the conditioning at this age to hang with a fighter 31 years younger.
- Round 8: Paul opens with a few jabs and eats a punch from Tyson. Boos are coming down from the crowd because of a lack of action.
Fighter Backgrounds
Paul, 27, is a social media star with more than 27 million Instagram followers and nearly 21 million YouTube subscribers. 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.
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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.
Co-Main Event: Taylor vs. Serrano
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.
Taylor claimed the rematch 95-94 for all three judges in an epic battle.
Undercard Highlights
The undercard featured several exciting matchups:
- Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos: Barrios retained his WBC welterweight belt with a split draw.
- Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes: A four-round, 160-pound bout.
- Shadasia Green vs. Melinda Watpool: A 10-round fight for the vacant WBO super middleweight title.
- Lucas Bahdi vs. Armando Casamonica: A 10-round 135-pound matchup.
- Bruce Carrington Jr. vs. Dana Coolwell: An eight-round, 126-pound bout.
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).
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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".
In response, Tyson had cited his years of training, calling himself a “different species of human being”. In a press conference with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, Tyson distinguished biological age from chronological age, stating “Our man's biggest downfall is to believe we have limitations and that's what we do, we believe we're a certain amount of age”.
During the weigh-in the day prior to the match, Paul stepped on Tyson's toes; Tyson has been on record stating he has foot problems due to health issues including sciatica, and has an aversion to people stepping on them. Tyson slapped Paul across the face, afterwards telling the New York Post "I was in my socks and he had on shoes. He stepped on my toe because he is a fucking asshole. I wanted to think it happened by accident. But now I think it may have happened on purpose," adding "I was in a lot of pain.
Streaming Issues
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.
Post-Fight Concerns
Following the fight, a number of outlets expressed concerns that the fight was staged.
Event Details
The Tyson-Paul bout was announced in March and originally slated. Paul's opponents have ranged from MMA fighters like Anderson Silva to boxers like Tyron Woodley. Now, "The Problem Child" will meet "The Baddest Man on the Planet" in a highly anticipated match.
The event, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was broadcast live on Netflix, a one-of-a-kind opportunity that makes it easily accessible to fans worldwide.
Paul vs. Tyson revenue has surpassed $17.8 million, almost double the previous $9 million state combat sports gate record set by Canelo Álvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders in 2021, according to event promoter Most Valuable Promotions.
Fight Card
The fight card included:
- Heavyweight: Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul
- Super Lightweight: Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano
- Welterweight: Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos
- Super Middleweight: Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes
- Super Middleweight: Shadasia Green vs Melinda Watpool
- Super Lightweight: Lucas Bahdi vs. Armando Casamonica
- Featherweight: Bruce Carrington vs Dana Coolwell
Unique Rules
There will, however, be a few small changes compared with other heavyweight fights.
The main event will be eight two-minute rounds instead of 10 or 12 three-minute rounds, and both fighters will wear 14-ounce gloves rather than 10-ounce gloves.
Tyson’s Bleak Comments on Legacy
Tyson stunned a teenage girl on Thursday after she lobbed him an easy feel-good question - only to get a shockingly bleak response about death and eternal nothingness.
When 14-year-old Jazlyn Guerra, the young journalist behind Jazzys World TV, asked what kind of “legacy” he hopes to leave behind, the unflinching Tyson explained how fleeting and seemingly meaningless strolling this planet could be.
“I don’t believe in the word ‘legacy.’ I think that’s another word for ego. Legacy doesn’t mean nothing. That’s just some word everybody grabbed on to. Someone said that word and everyone grabbed on to that word, now it’s used every five seconds,” Tyson said in an interview that posted on Thursday.