Mike Tyson's fight with Jake Paul on Netflix draws eyeballs, and dollars. Is it good for the sport? | CBC News (2024)

Kevin Maimann · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 15, 2024 6:44 PM EST | Last Updated: November 16

Social mediapersonality Jake Paul beatformer heavyweight champion Mike Tysonin what some say could be the most-watched boxing event of all time Friday.

Paul defeatedthe boxing legendby unanimous decision in Texasto win an intergenerational heavyweight battle.

All the hate from the pre-fight buildup was gone, with Paul even stopping to pay homage with a bow to Tyson before the final bell sounded at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

The fight wasn't close on the judge's cards, with one giving Paul an 80-72 edge and the other two calling it 79-73.

Tyson came after Paul immediately after the opening bell and landed a couple of quick punches but didn't try much else the rest of the way. Paul was more aggressive after the quickburst from Tyson in the opening seconds, but the punching wasn't very efficient. There were quite a few wild swings and misses.

The event, which waslive streamed on Netflix, drewplenty of attention because of both participants' celebrity status, but also because of unusual circumstances.Some have called the match a farce anda disgrace to boxing that failed to live up the hype, while others say the publicity is good for the sport.

Paul, 27, a former child star who built a massive following on YouTubein the 2010s, became a professional boxer four years ago.

He trains full-time with top coaches and has taken part in several high-profile novelty matches, but none as big as Tyson.

Tyson, 58, one of the most famous boxers in history, was the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990 and retired in 2005.

He took part in a 2020 exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr. that ended in a draw,but has been plagued by health problems, including sciatica. Friday's matchwas initially supposed to take place in July but had to be postponed afterTyson fell ill in May with a bleeding stomach ulcer.

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Both fighters stand to earn a big payday.

DraftKings Network estimates Tyson will make $20 million US forthe fight, while Paul —who co-foundedMost Valuable Promotions, the company partnering with Netflix to promote the event —stands to make double that amount.

Matchup is 'kind of sad': former boxer

Spider Jones, a sports journalist and former amateur boxer who is in the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame, says the match is a "sham" and Paul should be challenging top contenders instead of a 58-year-old who has been retired for almost two decades.

"What have we got to in boxing whenpeople will paythis guy millions of dollars to watch him fight somebody that has been over the hill for years?" he said.

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"That's kind of sad when there's so many fighters out there who give everything to the game and can't make that kind of money if they try it. And you get a YouTube guy coming in, and he's getting it all."

Jones had previously predictedTyson wouldtake Paul out in the first three rounds, but saidif Paulcouldhold out for the initial "hurricane" from Tyson, his significant age advantage wouldgive him the edge.

Either way, he says, "They're both going to come out winners because of the payday."

Netflix has dabbled in live streaming before, but this will likely be its biggest live sporting event to date, as streaming services increasingly move into the live sports space.

Asmillions of subscribers logged in, thatcreated its own problems, with servers getting knocked out by all the viewer demand. About 85,000 users reporteda loss of service leading up to the fight, according to theoutage tracking website Downdetector.com.

The fight went for eight rounds of two minutes each, which is shorter than the three-minute rounds typical of professional men's boxing. Both fighters also wore heavier, 14-ounce boxing gloves, rather than the typical 10-ounce gloves.

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Fight building excitement in boxing world

Tyler Buxton, president of Mississauga-based United Promotions Boxing,says any publicity is good publicity when it comes to building the sport.

"This is massive," he said. "Without a doubtit's the largest boxing event of the year, for sure."

Buxton favouredPaul to win beforehand, saying he's "a much better boxer than people give him credit for."

Matt Hoffar, CEO of Vancouver-based Empire Boxing Enterprises, says he was"taken aback" when the fight was first announced, but itgenerated a lot of excitement in the boxing world, especially among fans who grew up watching Tyson in his prime.

He said before thematch the fight has too many variables to pick a winner.

"I'd love to see Tyson come out and show people that boxers have a bit of an upper hand on someone that just started boxing," he said. "So I think we're all cheering for that."

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