From a pure entertainment standpoint, it was worse than any of us thought.
Jake Paul won the fight, and Mike Tyson lost officially, but the fans who wanted to see an actual fight were all worse for watching it–all gazillion of us.
Paul scored a merciful unanimous decision victory over a listless 58-year-old (80-72, 79-73 x2).
It didn’t matter that it was Tyson. Tyson looked even older than most of us expected, and Paul took his foot off the gas to ensure he didn’t hurt the boxing legend. Many won’t recognize that, but it was admirable.
That fact and Tyson’s reported payday ($20 million) was the only good thing about the fight.
The first two rounds of the fight looked mildly competitive, but by the close of the frame, it was clear Tyson had hit his ceiling for the evening and, hopefully, for his career as an in-ring fighter.
The fight was quick thanks to the eight, two-minute rounds, and that was another positive because fans weren’t dragged through the mud for what turned out to be one of the biggest wastes of time in combat sports history.
The main event felt like I’d purchased a scratch-off lottery ticket; despite how much I don’t believe in those things, I was duped into thinking that maybe there was a chance to hit the jackpot.
Seconds later, after the UV scratch-off ink has cleared, you see “try again,” and you’re filled with that ‘why did I even do that’ feeling. Ariel Helwani asked Paul after the fight if he tried to knock Tyson out.
Paul’s hesitation in answering and his words confirmed, at least in my mind, that he didn’t. Most of us are glad he didn’t, but still, it felt cheap. If you’re wondering why this piece is light on fight analysis, there wasn’t much to analyze. Here are a few highlights:
Here is the reaction from some members of the fighting community.
This hasn’t been the best year for Ryan Garcia’s social media activity, but this post is rock solid.
Terence Crawford offered a harsh critique of the boxing legend’s work. Crawford said Tyson looked “like trash.”
Oscar De La Hoya’s Clapback Thursday is going to be a must-see.
The highlight of the Paul-Tyson portion of the event was this line from the boxing icon’s post-fight interview with Helwani.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the poor production from Netflix.
The streaming service’s ideas for presenting a boxing event were as bad as one could have predicted for a network with no experience with live sports, especially a boxing event. The personalities were an assortment of celebrities from various entertainment industries, resulting in many cringe moments.
The reception was seemingly so bad throughout the country that many people struggled to see the co-main event and main event without interruption. Even Paul said after the fight, “we crashed the site.”
That might be great for him as it proved his ability to draw, but it was terrible for Netflix as it demonstrated the network could not handle significant volume for a live event.
WWE and other sports organizations will have to consider that as they decide if Netflix is the right spot for their live content.
Netflix is excellent in its lane. On Friday, it tried to expand and fumbled.
Here is a look at all of the results from the card. In case you missed it, Amanda Serrano-Katie Taylor 2 was an absolute banger, as was Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos.
Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson – Results From the Entire Card
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, heavyweights (eight, two-minute rounds)
- Katie Taylor (c) def. Amanda Serrano via unanimous decision (95-94, 95-94, 95-94)
- Mario Barrios (c) vs. Abel Ramos ends in a split draw (114-112, 110-116, 113-113)
- Neeraj Goyat def. Whindersson Nunes via unanimous decision (59-55, 60-54, 60-54)
- Shadasia Green def. Melinda Watpool via split decision (97-93, 94-96, 96-94)
- Lucas Bahdi def. Armando Casamonica via majority decision (95-95, 96-93, 98-92)
- Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington Jr. def. Dana Coolwell via unanimous decision (80-70, 80-70, 80-70)
