On the 16th of November, Mike Tyson, a 58-year-old professional boxer fought 27-year-old Jake Paul, an ex-YouTuber turned boxer. Jake Paul, who many may remember from their childhood YouTube days, turned to boxing back in 2018. Mike Tyson, known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet”, currently possesses an impressive record of 50 wins and 6 losses.
The fight was streamed on Netflix and was highly promoted by Jake Paul for months. According to Netflix, 60 million viewers tuned in to watch the fight, with many expecting Tyson to win. USA Today stated that Tyson is the obvious winner for a handful of reasons, as “Tyson is one of the all-time greats and one of the most popular fighters ever. Even at his age now, he has this aura that few fighters ever had. The second reason, many people have been rooting for Jake Paul to get violently knocked out for quite some time. Paul is a polarizing character, and people back that up with betting.” Despite the abundance of fans supporting the boxing legend, Tyson ultimately suffered a disappointing loss.
Alongside his older brother Logan, Jake Paul entered in a Chevy Dually truck custom made with “In the Air Tonight” playing in the background. Tyson walked out by himself with “Murdergram” in the background. In the first round, both fighters stayed cautious with Paul keeping his pace while throwing the first punch. Viewers were quick to notice Tysons age showing as he was struggling to keep up with Paul’s speed. By the second round Jake Paul grew confident as Tysons started to slow down. He attempted to close the gap with hooks to Paul’s body but missed as Paul kept moving and jabbing. In round 3, Paul continued landing clean punches, winning a cheer over from the crowd with a notable uppercut. By rounds 4 and 5 both fighters were showing signs of fatigue, with Tyson struggling to throw punches. He managed to land a solid hook to Paul’s ribs, but Paul continued to score more points. The final three rounds saw Paul on the offensive, landing a flurry of punches to seal his lead, as he continued to land clean shots towards Tysons head.
Many fans where left feeling underwhelmed and overall disappointed. Many criticized the energy and skill, with Tyson, at 58, visibly fatigued, unable to deliver the power and energy he was once known for, resulting in a match many felt lacked excitement. Fans in the stadium expressed their disappointment with boos, and online reactions labelled the fight as exploitative and uninspiring, tarnishing what could have been a memorable spectacle.
Tom Prentice • Nov 21, 2024 at 2:44 pm
Amazing Job,
I couldn’t agree more with how everything played out. From the buildup of excitement to the biggest feeling of disappointment, it’s no wonder why some call this fight the biggest waste of time, money, advertisement, and preparation of the twenty-first century. Your commentating on each round was spot on. As each round played out, it became more and more clear that this fight was only going to come down to speed and endurance, which is something we don’t usually look for in heavyweight matches. Once again, amazing job you’ve done here, and I’m so excited to read more of your stories.