Friday night’s fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will go down as one for the aged, as Paul, the youthful YouTuber, outlanded and outboxed his seasoned opponent, earning a unanimous decision victory.
Tyson, 58, looked quite spry in the early going, showing his signature head movement and left hooks to keep his youthful opponent off-guard. However, beginning in round three, Tyson’s legs appeared to give way, and his head movement slowed down, leaving him a sitting target for headshots from Paul.
Tyson did shock many analysts by lasting the full eight, two-minute rounds.
While Paul wobbled Tyson and knocked him off balance a few times, Tyson never looked like he was in danger of getting knocked out. However, it also appeared that Paul neglected to take advantage of several opportunities to punish Tyson.
Paul respected his legendary foe in the final moments by bowing to Tyson before the final bell.
The judges scored the bout 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 for Paul.
While some may find the fight forgettable, far fewer will forget the broadcast difficulties. Viewers were subject to excessive buffering throughout the bout. While at some moments, the technical difficulties merely blurred the screen, at other times, the screen became so cluttered that it was impossible to tell what was happening.
The fight was the culmination of a nearly two-year process. Tyson and Paul were initially supposed to fight on July 20 at AT&T Stadium. However, that fight day date was postponed after Tyson had ulcer-related issues.
The loss drops Tyson to 50-7, while Paul advances his record to 11-1/