Social media star Jake Paul defeated boxing legend Mike Tyson in a highly anticipated fight with an age difference of over three decades between the two contenders. The Friday night win for the YouTuber-turned-pro-boxer was streamed on Netflix from the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Texas.
Paul defeated Tyson by unanimous decision after the two fighters went eight full rounds, with each round two minutes long. Tyson came out strong, but faded as the fight went along, while Paul gained confidence and appeared to have Tyson on his heels for the final few rounds.
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After the decision was announced, the two fighters hugged. Paul was complementary of Tyson, calling him “a legend and the greatest to ever do it. He’s the GOAT. I look up to him, I’m inspired by him. This man is an icon.”
Tyson said he was “absolutely happy” with how he fought, describing Paul as a “very good fighter.”
“I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself,” Tyson said, and when asked, did not rule out a return to the ring.
Fight night for the 58-year-old Tyson and 27-year-old Paul came following doubts over whether it would happen at all. The fight was originally scheduled for July, but was postponed after the former heavyweight champion experienced an ulcer flare-up on a plane in May.
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A different kind of flare-up happened during the official weigh-in Thursday with Tyson slapping Paul in the face. Tyson later told the New York Post that Paul had stepped on his toe when the two were toe to toe onstage.
When asked about the incident after the fight, Tyson brushed it off, saying “that happens when you’re getting ready to fight, you’re in the moment.”
“Hey, that was a very good slap,” Paul responded. “I liked that.”
What is Jake Paul’s fight record?
With the win, Paul’s record improved to 11-1.
Was Jake Paul predicted to win?
Oddsmakers had Paul as the slight favorite to win. Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua also went with Paul.
How much prize money does Jake Paul win?
Paul was expected to earn about $40 million from the fight, according to DraftKings Network and other online sources.
Promoters didn’t reveal the payouts ahead of the bout. Paul is a co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, which produced the fight.
Does Mike Tyson still get paid?
Tyson was expected to take home around $20 million for the fight, according to DraftKings and other online reports.
Tyson entered professional boxing in 1985 and became the youngest heavyweight champion in history a year later. After serving time for a rape conviction in the 1990s, Tyson won the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association titles.
He retired from boxing in 2005 and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011. He last fought in a 2020 exhibition match against former four-division world champ Roy Jones Jr.
“He like put on another 20 pounds from when I fought him, so he’s more bigger and he’s more dangerous because more size, more power, so it’s going to be a tough one for Jake to climb,” Jones told CBS News ahead of the fight.
Anne Marie Lee and
Matt Richardson
contributed to this report.