Seventy-eight—that was the number of punches that YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul had to land on 58-year-old veteran Mike Tyson to clinch his victory at Netflix’s first-ever pay-per-view boxing match on Saturday morning.
“This is now my sport,” roared Jake Paul in a message to Mike Tyson on the big screen moments before his entrance to the ring to the tune of In the ring tonight by Phil Collins. The controversial “problem child”, accompanied by his equally famous sibling—WWE wrestler and YouTuber Logan Paul—took his place at the blue corner. Little did he know that the fight ahead of him would be eight rounds long.
The lights went out for a moment at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in Texas, and then came the entry of “Iron” Mike Tyson, who walked to the ring with his signature intensity to the red corner. The audience went up in cheers as they saw the former world champion back in the ring, live, in years.
The 50-6 record-holder and former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world did not waste any time in his home turf at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, landing punches at Paul. But his footwork and general stance worried commentators and the audience alike. When two rounds were over, things were going slow.
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But as soon as the bell went off to kick off the third round, Tyson went all out at Paul. Punches connected and he averaged more shots at first, but Paul quickly recovered by the second minute.
Tyson and Paul greet each other after the final round | AFP
From then on, Paul took more control of the match in the next two rounds. By the first round of the second half—the fifth round—Jake Paul had more punches in on average. Soon, Paul had managed over 78 punches on average, overpowering the much older Tyson in the final round.
As the final bell went off, the fight seemed almost equally matched. But the stats said another story, and the decision by the judges were unanimous. Paul had indeed pulled it off, and he began one of the handful of people in the world to ever beat “Iron Mike” in the ring.
‘No plans of retiring’: Mike Tyson
“He is a very good boxer,” said Tyson about the winner Paul in the post-fight interview. The legendary boxer then went to on to say that he has no plans of retiring and that he still has more to offer. He even challenged Jake Paul's brother, Logan, to another fight post the match.
Jake Paul talks to media after his win | AFP
Laurence Cole, David Iacobucci and Jesse Reyes were the judges and Mark Calo-Dy the match referee. Texas state sanctioned the Netflix event on November 15, Friday night, (November 16 morning in India) as a pro fight with certain modifications. YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul waited an extra four months for his match against Tyson due to the delay caused by the latter's medical complications. And the fight seemed to be building up as more rounds mounted up.
The live audience, most of whom came to watch the former heavyweight champion, cheered for Tyson. While initially welcomed with boos, Jake Paul seemed to be gaining respect as each round went by—the “problem child” stood his ground, landing significant jabs at the seasoned veteran they all came to witness.
Celebrities such as Charlize Theron, Simu Liu, Josh Duhamel, Joe Manganiello, Joe Jonas, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka of The Karate Kid fame, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, and four-time Superbowl Champion Rob Gronkowski, were at the venue to watch the bout live.
