YouTuber Jake Paul emerged victorious against boxing veteran Mike Tyson via unanimous decision in a lopsided tie on Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The judges concluded the scoring 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 in Paul’s favour as the 27-year-old won the eight-round bout.
Tyson’s much-anticipated return to the boxing ring saw once deemed the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ fall short of glory to prizefighter Paul. Though Tyson was the fan favourite in the lead-up to this contest, Paul’s quick reflexes, endurance, and stamina helped him stand tall in the end.
The 58-year-old struggled to replicate his performances in his prime for obvious reasons, failing to mount any significant offense as Paul troubled him with jabs throughout the eight two-minute rounds. Such was the veteran’s performance that Tyson slapping Paul for stepping on his foot during Thursday’s weigh-in during the final stare-down was perhaps the best strike he landed.
Meanwhile, since losing to Kevin McBride on June 11, 2005, Tyson returned to the boxing ring for the first time as a professional. The greatest American boxer at one point in time recently faced Roy Jones Jr. in a 2020 exhibition bout, impressing everyone with his performance, setting the stage for a fight with Paul.
That, however, didn’t turn out the way he would have liked, as Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs, 2 NCs) lacked zeal and his signature style of boxing, with the knee brace restricting his movement.
Paul stars against Tyson
Paul, 27, was earlier scheduled to face the former heavyweight champion on July 20 this year, but the fight got postponed after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up on a flight.
Instead of waiting to face Tyson, Paul took on the former UFC fighter and current BKFC competitor Mike Perry, scoring a sixth-round TKO against him.
However, against Tyson, 31 years older than him, Paul failed to land a KO, but instead used lateral movement to disturb Tyson’s rhythm, smashing some jabs to add salt to injury.
Though neither looked in any danger, Paul remained in control and won in the end.
After the bout, Jake also bowed down to Tyson, calling him the greatest of all time.
(With inputs from agencies)