Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson was touted to be one of the biggest cultural events of 2024. It was the oddest of pairings. Paul, a YouTuber and social media presence, vs. Tyson, one of the respected boxers walking the planet. Fans wanted to see Paul go down. They wanted to see a victory lap for Tyson, despite being significantly older than his opponent. Unfortunately, this did not come to pass. Jake Paul defeated Iron Mike handily on Friday, November 15.
USA Today confirmed that Jake Paul won each of the eight rounds that he fought against Mike Tyson. Some were admittedly close, in terms of score. Tyson nearly stole rounds 3 and 4 away from Paul, with only one point separating their scores (25-24, 33-32, respectively). The legendary fighter started to lose steam after round 5, however. The fight became less exciting, and the audience can be heard booing in the background. DJ Akademiks was live tweeting throughout the event, and he posited that Jake Paul was actually taking it easy on Tyson.
Jake Paul Praised Mike Tyson As The "GOAT"
"Jake Paul finessing like crazy," the hip hop personality tweeted. "He def ain’t tryna hurt or KO Mike Tyson." As the fight wore on into rounds 6-8, DJ Akademiks actually praised Paul. "Pretty respectful fight," he added. "Gotta respect ur elders still. Shoutout to Jake and Iron Mike." Indeed, Paul bowed down to Mike Tyson in the closing moments of the match. It was obvious, to him and to everybody watching at home, that the scoring wasn't even close. Jake Paul cleared his older opponent.
Jake Paul's victory over Mike Tyson brings his professional record to 11-1. He made a point of giving praise to Mike Tyson during his post-match interview. "Mike Tyson, it's an honor," he stated. "He's a legend, he's the greatest to ever do it." The YouTuber turned boxer also dubbed Mike Tyson the "GOAT" and admitted that he looks to him as an inspiration. "We wouldn't be here today without him," he added. The two men hugged following Jake Paul's speech. It may not have been as exciting as some fans had hoped, especially with the Netflix lag, but at least it actually happened.
[via]