The much-anticipated boxing match between 58-year-old former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and upstart fighter Jake Paul, 27, who went pro after finding fame as a YouTube sensation, ended with the favored Paul winning by unsurprising unanimous decision after a full eight rounds on Friday night. More than 72,000 were in attendance at the event at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
While Tyson impressed by connecting with shots in early rounds, he was unable to score one of his signature early knockouts, and showed his age as the bout wore on, at times looking unsteady on his legs. Paul ultimately landed far more blows — though Tyson absorbed them without ever looking like he might go down. The later rounds brought audible disappointment from the crowd, some of whom could be seen leaving the stadium before the decision was officially announced. Commentators, meanwhile, wondered whether Tyson had any real chance of beating a man less than half his age. In the final seconds of the eighth round, Paul bowed in respect to Tyson.
The match aired live on Netflix, which has not previously broadcast combat sports, rather than cable or pay-per-view, making it an unusual bout in more ways than one. (The streamer’s real-time boxing debut was not without incident, as users complained of the app crashing, poor resolution, and mic outages.) But the irresistible novelty that drew audiences — approximately 120 million people streamed the event — was the spectacle of a notoriously dangerous boxer far past his prime taking on a relatively inexperienced newcomer who has nonetheless racked up some impressive wins and knockouts. Tyson received a purse of $20 million for the match, while Paul was paid $40 million. Tickets brought in $17.8 million, the biggest gate total ever for a match held outside of Las Vegas.
The co-main event was the undisputed junior welterweight title rematch between Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano and Ireland’s Katie Taylor. In a unanimous decision booed by the crowd, questioned by the broadcast team, and disputed by viewers across social media, Taylor won an action-packed 10-round fight that saw one lightning flurry of devastating hits after another. Midway through, Serrano suffered a gruesome cut to her eyebrow, and Taylor was then repeatedly warned by the referee about head-butting; she had one point deducted for it. In ring interviews during and following the match, Serrano’s trainer, Jordan Maldonado, accused Taylor of dirty tactics and said, “Katie’s a beautiful person, but has an extremely huge head.” The pair had previously met for a headliner match in Madison Square Garden in 2022, billed as the biggest fight in women’s boxing history, with Taylor besting Serrano in a likewise controversial decision.
In an undercard welterweight championship fight on Friday evening, Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos battled for a bruising, bloody 12 rounds that ended in a split draw, with both men scoring one knockdown and Barrios ultimately retaining his title.
Paul had been the one to propose a fight with Tyson, with whom he has a friendly relationship, two years ago, and has said it was Tyson’s idea to make it a pro match rather than an exhibition, meaning the result will be reflected on their career records. After several other states declined to sanction the match, Texas agreed, though it imposed a shorter format of eight two-minute rounds (instead of 10 to 12 three-minute rounds) and required the boxers to wear 14-ounce gloves, heavier than standard, to reduce impact. The match was postponed from its original July date when Tyson had to undergo treatment for a stomach ulcer.
That gave the two men plenty of time to taunt one another and hype their ultimate confrontation. In a face-to-face interview days before the Texas fight, Paul declared that it would be “the biggest moment in boxing history when I put this man to sleep,” prompting Tyson to reply, “He dreams a lot. This is not gonna come true, young man.” In addition to the advantage of youth, Paul stands three inches taller than Tyson and has a reach of five extra inches. Asked why he would win against such a foe, Tyson quipped, “Because I’m Mike Tyson.” The drama only escalated when Tyson slapped Paul in the face during Thursday’s weigh-in, allegedly because Paul had deliberately stepped on his foot.
Throughout his short boxing career, Paul has endured boos and jeers from audiences eager to see a social media millionaire KO’d in the ring. He has leaned into a role as a heel, earning the nickname “The Problem Child” in the boxing world. “Naturally people want to root against me, and that’s great for the sport of boxing,” he said in one press conference ahead of the Tyson matchup.
Some promoters in the sport were particularly critical of Paul for bringing Tyson out of retirement at his age, calling it unsafe and irresponsible. As the fight progressed, the phrase “He’s 58” trended on X (formerly Twitter), with users alternately incensed by Paul challenging the far older man and impressed that Tyson managed to stand his ground against an opponent in peak condition.
Paul became an internet celebrity alongside his older brother, Logan Paul, in the 2010s — first on the video platform Vine, then YouTube. Known for pranks and comedy, the pair would go on to become two of the highest-paid YouTubers, appearing on TV, releasing music, and expanding into various business ventures. Jake Paul’s decision to start competing as a boxer in 2018, followed by a pro debut in 2020, took fans and the entertainment world by surprise, with many wondering if it was just one more viral gimmick. Yet Paul put some doubters to rest as he notched victories over mixed martial artists, including veterans of the Ultimate Fighting Championship circuit. Going into Friday’s fight, Paul was 10-1, with seven knockouts, and had previously lasted all eight rounds with Floyd Mayweather in a 2021 exhibition match that had no official judges or decision. His one loss came at the hands of British boxer Tommy Fury in a 2023 split decision.
Tyson last fought in an exhibition match in 2020, dueling Roy Jones Jr. to a split draw. (Paul knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson in an undercard match at that event.) Tyson’s showdown with Paul however, was his first sanctioned pro event since 2005, when he lost to Kevin McBride by technical knockout. At that point, he was 50-6, with 44 career knockouts, and declared his retirement. “I do not have the guts to be in this sport anymore,” he said at the time.
Nearly 20 years later, “Iron Mike” laced up again for a match that many considered a risky, ridiculous stunt, one that may have established a new normal for boxing as the sport contends with the streaming era. Afterward, he seemed unfazed by the loss, and when asked if it would be his last time in the ring, said, “I don’t think so.” Tyson then joked that he might fight Logan Paul next.