“I just came up with a crazy idea. Do you think I could beat Mike Tyson?” Yes, he could. But he couldn’t knock the 58-year-old out.
Jake Paul won his heavyweight bout over Mike Tyson by unanimous decision, with the reality of Iron Mike’s age proving the deciding factor between the two boxers. However, in what was widely expected to be a match decided by knock-out, the 27-year-old couldn’t bring the boxing legend down, despite several strong hits.
Tyson came firing out of the blocks, landing several early hits and winning the score in the first two rounds.
However, Paul came back in the third and fourth rounds, settling into his rhythm as the clear age gap saw fatigue set in early for Tyson – while also having an apparent issue with his knee.
Jake Paul, left, and Mike Tyson hug after their heavyweight bout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Paul went on to take control of the remaining rounds but despite a few hits could drop Tyson, winning the judges ruling by a score of 80-72, 79-73, 79-73.
The 27-year-old ended up throwing 278 punches and landing 78. Tyson, meanwhile threw 97 punches and landed just 18.
As the final round played, commentator Mauro Ranallo admitted the reality of the mismatch in front of the 72,000 fans in Arlington.
“My fifty-something friends were wondering if the old guy could do it for the rest of us! Unfortunately, reality had other ideas,” the commentator said.
“As much of a cliche as it is, it’s because it’s true: Father Time is unbeaten for a reason!”
However, despite the one-sided nature of the clash, Paul still commended the boxing legend for going the distance, bowing to Tyson as the final seconds ticked away.
Fellow veteran Rosie Perez was quick to praise Tyson for staying the distance against an opponent half his age, but admitted the result was “no surprise.”
“Listen, I’m old man,” Perez joked.
“I know how hard it is to get back up there. At 58 years old… I just have to give it to Mike Tyson. I’m not surprised, I have to say that, but Jake Paul, giving him his respect? That was very touching.
Paul continued his praise for the veteran in the post-match interview.
“It’s just an honour to fight him, he’s still the toughest, baddest man on the planet,” he said post-match.
However for Tyson, when asked about his performance, responded in charismatic fashion.
“I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself. I’m just happy with what I can do,” said Tyson.
Despite the nature of the bill, the disappointment of the result was hard to ignore, with the crowd clearly behind Tyson and hoping he could produce something special in the closing stages.
Hall of Famer Andre Ford admitted that the age gap made the match a foregone conclusion after the opening rounds.
“The crowd – they were confused throughout the fight. Their heart was with Mike and they wanted him to give them something to cheer about,” he said.
“Mike wasn’t giving them much to cheer about – because of the age and the wear and tear – but they didn’t want to boo Mike, they really didn’t know what to do.
“They say age ain’t nothing but a number. That’s a lie!”
American boxing star Terence Crawford slammed the fight, saying Tyson looked like “trash” after only throwing 97 punches.
He wasn’t alone with NBA legend Magic Johnson saying he had to “cut it (the fight) off”.
Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael, meanwhile, wrote on X that he was “sad watching this”.
“Tyson looks like Tyson, but nothing left under the hood,” he added.
In the other performances of the night, Australian Dana Coolwell went down to American Bruce Carrington via unanimous decision in the featherweight fight, with Carrington retaining the NABF, WBO Inter-Continental, and WBC Silver featherweight titles.
Lucas Bahdi defeated Armando Casamonica via majority decision in the lightweight ticket, before Shadasia Green prevailed in the super middleweight, defeating Melinda Watpool by majority decision.
In the other main card events, Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat overcame Whindersson Nunes by unanimous decision in the super middleweight clash, before a 12-round thriller played out in the welterweight fight between Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos in a contender for match of the night.
Abel Ramos, right, and Mario Barrios during their WBC world welterweight fight. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Barrios came in as the favourite, however after a see-sawing brutal contest that saw both combatants go down, the match ended in a split decision draw with Barrios, retaining the WBC welterweight title.
However, the co-headlining event for the undisputed super lightweight world title also proved equally as thrilling, not just for the ferocity of the fight, but for the drama that unfolded on the referee scoresheet.
Ireland’s Katie Taylor retained her crown, winning in a unanimous decision after a ten-round punch-a-thon with Amanda Serrano, the match proving a worthy sequel to their first fight at Madison Square Garden two years ago, also won by Taylor.
However, the match saw Taylor penalised for an apparent headbutt, leaving Serrano with a massive cut above her right eye – the hit proving so bad the bout had to be halted while Serrano received treatment.
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano fight during LIVE On Netflix: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on November 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)
Despite commentator Roy Jones Jr believing the headbutt was unintentional, several more headbutts occurred during the match by both players, with the referee pulling it up on several occasions. Serrano’s trainer also complained during the match and in the post-match, accusing Taylor of dirty tactics.
The night was also marred by complaints from viewers towards the broadcaster Netflix, with the landmark event for the streaming service being affected by buffering and bandwidth issues.
It all culminated when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ microphone cut out – while he was in the process of praising the streaming service.