Social media personality turned youtuber Jake Paul defeated Mike Tyson, 31 years his senior, in Arlington Texas, on Friday (Nov. 15).
All the hate from the pre-fight buildup was gone was replaced by boos from bewildered fans at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Paul was unfazed.
“You know I tried to give the best fight I possibly could, but when someone’s just surviving in the ring, basically, it’s hard to make it exciting. So I couldn’t really get him to engage me or slip shots and, you know, do something super cool or whatever, but I don’t care about what people have to say…..”
“I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself,” said Tyson after his first sanctioned pro bout in almost 20 years
Tyson landed a couple of quick punches right after the opening bell though. Even fewer rounds than the normal 10 or 12 and two-minute rounds instead of three, along with heavier gloves designed to lessen the power of punches, couldn’t do much to generate action.
Paul was more aggressive after the quick burst from Tyson in the opening seconds, but the punching wasn’t very efficient. There were quite a few wild swings and misses.
Both men reportedly earned million dollar for the bout
Paul and Tyson weren’t the only ones who had high stakes when they meet in the boxing ring on Friday night.
For Netflix, it was their biggest live sports event to date, and an opportunity to make sure it can handle audience demand with the NFL and WWE on the horizon.