Youtuber, Jake Paul Defeats Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson’s much-debated comeback to boxing concluded with a lopsided loss on Friday, as YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul claimed a decisive victory by unanimous decision over the heavyweight legend in Texas.
The 58-year-old Tyson struggled to connect during the eight-round contest held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Paul dominated the fight, earning wide leads on all three judges’ scorecards: 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.
Paul, 27, made use of 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.
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 honor. 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 honor to be able to fight him. He’s the toughest, baddest man on the planet; it was tough like I expected it to be.”
