Jake Paul, 27, claims unanimous decision win over Mike Tyson, 58, in controversial bout in front of 70,000 in Texas; fight - which was streamed on Netflix - was scored 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73 in favour of the YouTuber-turned-boxer
Saturday 16 November 2024 14:56, UK
Jake Paul defeated Mike Tyson via unanimous decision in the former world heavyweight champion's first fight in 19 years.
The eight-round fight, which took place at the AT&T Stadium in Texas and was streamed on Netflix, was scored 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73 in favour of the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
The opening round began with Paul, 27, using his youth advantage to repeatedly close the gap on 58-year-old Tyson, let loose a jab and quickly create distance.
Tyson was able to catch Paul with a few heavy body shots before the two fighters clinched, which elicited heavy boos from the crowd.
The second round followed a similar vein, Paul doing his best to avoid Tyson's famously heavy blows before clinching again.
Round three began much more explosively, with Tyson coming out swinging before being met with a series of left hooks from Paul.
Building in confidence, the YouTuber continued to land heavy blows on a static Tyson, who looked grateful for the bell at the end of the round.
The two fighters missed jabs at the start of the fourth but Tyson struggled to keep pace with Paul, who was able to pick and choose his spots on the increasingly weary Tyson.
Paul landed a heavy one-two combo to kickstart the halfway mark of the bout as Tyson did his best to use vertical movement to avoid Paul's strikes, the former heavyweight champion managing to land a stiff overhand right to end the round.
Tyson stood his ground in the sixth, sending Paul scarpering from each attempted strike, before the two exchanged heavy strikes throughout the seventh, which ended with Tyson landing a shot to the head.
But the bout was all but over headed into the final round, as Tyson took his time getting off the corner stool.
There was little of the famous power left in any of Tyson's punches and the pair embraced as the bell rang.
Speaking in his post-fight press conference, Paul admitted he didn't want to hurt Tyson, who was showing his age and just surviving in the ring.
"I wanted to give the fans a show but I didn't want to hurt someone that didn't need to be hurt," Paul said.
"No, [I didn't feel Mike's power]. I tried to give the best fight I possibly could, but when someone is just surviving in the ring, it's hard to make it exciting.
"I couldn't really get him to engage with me, slip shots, or do something super cool. I don't care about what people say, they are always going have something to say, it is what it is.
"There was a point when he wasn't really engaging back, I didn't know if he was tired. I could just tell his age was showing a little bit, and I just have so much respect.
"That violence and war thing between us, after he slapped me, I wanted to be aggressive, take him down and knock him out, but that went away as the rounds went on."
After his first competitive bout in 19 years, Tyson left the window open for future fights.
Asked if it was the last time he would be seen in a ring, Tyson told Netflix: "I don't know. It depends on the situation. I don't think so."
When asked who a future opponent could be, Tyson pointed out Paul's brother Logan in the crowd.
The former world heavyweight champion also said he was "absolutely happy" with his performance.
"I knew [Paul] was a good fighter," Tyson added. "I didn't prove nothing to anyone, just myself.
"I'm not one of these guys who goes out to please the world, I'm just happy with what I can do."
Sky Sports' Andy Scott:
"It was incredibly difficult to watch, painful at times.
"Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. It's up for debate whether that should have fallen under the umbrella of a professional boxing match, I'm not so sure it should have.
"Serious questions need to be asked about safeguarding of boxers. I don't think a 58-year-old man should have been allowed to step into that ring. Why was that allowed to happen?
"A few months ago, we saw shots of Tyson in a wheelchair and walking with a cane. He certainly didn't have any legs underneath him during the fight.
"Tyson could knock me and 90 per cent of people out even now, if he had the legs to do it. He's still got the missiles, but he hasn't got any way of launching them.
"Jake Paul deserves some respect for propping up Mike Tyson towards the end when he could have pulled the trigger. He obviously could have tried to knock Tyson out and I for one am pleased he didn't."
Want more boxing? Watch Chris Billam-Smith's world title unification with Gilberto Ramirez on Saturday live on Sky Sports Mix from 5pm. Stream with NOW.
