Boxing
Former heavyweight champ Tyson can’t turn back the clock
Jake Paul beat boxing legend Mike Tyson by unanimous decision to win an intergenerational heavyweight battle in Texas on Friday that failed to live up to its enormous hype.
The bout between the 27-year-old social media influencer-turned-prize fighter Paul and the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Tyson was streamed live on Netflix and played out in front of a sold-out crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Those fans were left largely disappointed as Tyson showed his age and was never able to generate any offense against his younger opponent, landing just 18 punches to Paul’s 78.
“First and foremost, Mike Tyson – it’s an honor to be able to fight him,” said Paul.
“It was as tough and hard as I thought it would be.”
Tyson, who wore a knee brace, never mounted much of a challenge after being wobbled by some left hands in the third round but did enough defensively to avoid taking any serious damage
He admitted after the contest to fighting through a leg injury.
“Yeah, but I can’t use that as an excuse. If I did, I wouldn’t be in here,” Tyson said.
“I knew he was a good fighter. He was prepared, I came to fight. I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself. I’m not one of those guys that live to please the world. I’m just happy with what I can do.”
Tyson, one of the most fearsome heavyweight champions of all time during his heyday in the late 1980s and early 1990s, was in his first professional fight in nearly 20 years. He was non-committal when asked if he would return to the ring again.
“I don’t know. It depends on the situation,” he said.
Paul (11-1) said he can now fight anyone he wants, possibly even Mexican Canelo Alvarez, after being the main attraction in the mega event that brought out a star-studded crowd and 72,300 fight fans to the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
“This is the biggest event, over 120 million people on Netflix. We crashed the site, The biggest U.S. boxing gate, $20 million, in U.S. history, and everyone is next on the list.”
In the co-main event earlier in the evening, Ireland’s Katie Taylor retained her super lightweight title by beating Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano in a controversial unanimous decision after a violent affair.
Serrano came forward throughout the fight but their heads crashed together hard in the early stages, resulting in a deep cut over Serrano’s right eye. The referee later took a point off Taylor for head butts.
In the end all three judges scored it 95-94 for Taylor, who denied accusations from Serrano’s corner that she was fighting dirty.
Taylor won the pair’s previous meeting at New York’s Madison Square Garden in April 2022 and said there would be a third meeting
-Reuters
Jake Paul has beaten boxing legend Mike Tyson by unanimous decision to win an intergenerational heavyweight battle in Texas on Friday that failed to live up to its enormous hype.
Mike Tyson (right) and Jake Paul hug after Paul defeated Tyson in their heavyweight boxing bout. PHOTO: AFP
The bout between the 27-year-old social media influencer-turned-prizefighter Paul and the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Tyson was streamed live on Netflix and played out in front of a sold-out crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
-Reuters
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson’s made-for-Netflix fight on Friday night has oddsmakers anticipating record wagering for a boxing match.
“We expect the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight to be the most bet on boxing match in BetMGM history,” senior trader Alex Rella said.
Paul, 27, will step into the ring against the 58-year-old Tyson at 8 p.m. ET on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight was rescheduled from July 20 because Tyson had an ulcer flare-up in late May.
Jake Paul attends a news conference, ahead of a sanctioned professional fight versus Mike Tyson which is set to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20, in New York City, U.S., May 13, 2024. REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado/File Photo
Paul, the YouTube star turned professional boxer, enters the fight with a 10-1 record that includes seven knockouts. The most recent was a sixth-round TKO of Mike Perry, who filled in for Tyson in July.
Meanwhile, Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) will fight professionally for the first time since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005. The former undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987-90, Tyson began his career with 19 consecutive wins by knockout, with 12 coming in the first round.
Friday will mark Tyson’s first bout since an exhibition in November 2020.
The Tyson-Paul bout will consist of eight two-minute rounds, instead of the regulation three-minute rounds. Also, each fighter will use 14-ounce gloves instead of the standard 10 ounces to limit punching power.
Paul is the heavy favorite at most sportsbooks. That includes DraftKings, where he has been backed by 64 percent of the money at -275. Tyson has drawn 66 percent of the total bets at +210, with the book setting the Over/Under for total rounds at 5.5.
Tyson has been the more popular play at BetMGM, where his odds have shifted from +275 to +188 while being backed by 59 percent of the bets and 76 percent of the money. Meanwhile, Paul’s odds have shifted from -275 to -190 since the market opened.
The most popular prop has been a Tyson win by KO/TKO or disqualification at +250, followed by a Tyson win on points at +1100.
“Bettors want to see Paul get knocked out and love Tyson as an underdog,” Rella said. “The book will be rooting for Paul to win.”
The most-bet fight in BetMGM history was Gervonta Davis’ win by TKO over Ryan Garcia in April 2023, followed by Paul’s unanimous decision victory over Nate Diaz in August of that year. Paul has six of the top 25 most-bet boxing matches in the book’s history.-Reuters
Mike Tyson, the one-time “Baddest Man on the Planet”, was throwing no punches on Wednesday in reply to criticism of his fight with YouTuber-turned boxer Jake Paul in Texas next month.
Boxer Jake Paul attends a news conference, ahead of a sanctioned professional fight versus Mike Tyson which is set to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20, in New York City, U.S., May 13, 2024. REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado/File Photo
Now 58, the former heavyweight world champion will step into the ring in Arlington on Nov. 15 against a man 31 years his younger but with only 10 professional fights to his name.
British promoter Eddie Hearn this month dismissed the bout at the 80,000 seat AT&T Stadium as “dangerous, irresponsible and disrespectful to boxing” and said he would not be watching.
“I’m in awe of him. He’s one of my favourite ever fighters, one of the greatest of all time, but he’s a 58-year-old man,” Hearn told the BBC. “You only need to speak to him and look at him to know this guy should not be in a ring again.”
“Everybody loves a dollar bill, including me, but sometimes the green-eyed monster can make you take some bad decisions and I think this is one of them.”
Tyson, who in 1997 was stripped of his licence after infamously sinking his teeth into Evander Holyfield’s ear, refused to bite.
“Well, that’s Eddie’s opinion, and that’s all I can say,” he told reporters in a video call from Las Vegas.
As for the fight, he had no doubt who would win.
“I’m doing well. I’m just looking forward to the fight. Really looking forward to it. When you think about it, regardless of me being how old I am, this guy only has 10 fights,” Tyson said.
“If I see this fight 10% of what I was, he only has 10 fights. He couldn’t match that. And that’s being sincere. If I’m 10%, he can’t match it.”
‘A NICE PERSON I AM NOT’
Tyson, who made and spent many millions through his career and filed for bankruptcy in 2003, denied money was the motivation and said he was just doing it for himself.
“This money from this fight is not going to change my lifestyle any,” he said.
“You know, I could use a buck like everyone else, but this is not for financial reasons. My life is not going to change, not one percentage after this fight. We will always be able to live this way. And I’m just doing it because I want to test myself.”
Tyson, who was convicted of rape in 1992 while maintaining his innocence, said things had changed for the better in his life but that still did not make him a nice man.
“I try to do the right thing, but a nice person I am not. So, anybody who has that kind of auspices that I’m a nice person, they’re going to be disappointed. I’m just not,” he said.
“I’m not a nice person. I don’t make people happy out of, you know, for no reason. I’m just who I am. I’m not trying to gain friends, that’s basically what I’m saying.”
Tyson, who has a 50-6 record with 44 knockouts, was one of the most feared heavyweights in history but has not fought a professional fight since 2005. Paul has a 9-1 record.
-Reuters
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