Mike Tyson’s controversial return to boxing ended in a one-sided defeat on Friday, with YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul cruising to victory by unanimous decision against the heavyweight icon in Texas.
Tyson, 58, barely landed a punch during the eight-round bout at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with Paul winning by big margins on all three cards — 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.
Paul, 27, used his superior speed and movement to dominate the ageing Tyson with ease, and had the former undisputed heavyweight champion in trouble after landing a flurry of punches in the third round.
Yet the younger fighter was unable to land the knockout blow he had promised to deliver during Thursday’s ill-tempered weigh-in, where Tyson slapped him across the face.
Jake Paul celebrates after his unanimous-decision win during a heavyweight bout against Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on Nov 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. AFP
Tyson, however, looked every bit of his 58 years, managing to land only a handful of meaningful punches during the fight, watched by a live crowd of around 70,000 spectators with an estimated millions more tuning in around the world.
Final statistics showed Tyson connected with just 18 of 97 punches thrown while Paul threw some 278 punches and landed 78 of them.
As the final seconds of the eighth round counted down, Paul could even afford to bow in respect to Tyson before the bell sounded.
“First and foremost, Mike Tyson, it’s such an honour. Let’s give it up for Mike,” Paul said after embracing Tyson following his win.
“He’s the greatest to ever do it. He’s the GOAT, he’s a legend. I’m inspired by him and we wouldn’t be here today without him.
“This man is an icon and it’s just an honour to be able to fight him. He’s obviously the toughest, baddest man on the planet; it was really tough like I expected it to be.”
