Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul was not a fight many will rush to see again.
After nearly a year of preparation, it finally took place on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and was the first boxing event to be streamed live on Netflix.
There were plenty of concerns before the fight as Tyson was 58 and had not fought professionally since 2005, while Paul was 31 years younger than his rival, making it the biggest age difference in professional boxing history.
Many of those concerns were proven true, as “Iron Mike” had to compete in a knee brace in the fight and looked nothing like his former self.
Paul dictated proceedings from start to finish, but Tyson managed to last until the end, with the judges scoring it 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 in favor of the YouTuber-turned-boxer after eight two-minute rounds.
One of Tyson’s former enemies turned friend was in attendance at the fight, and Evander Holyfield was there to support his fellow boxing legend.
They met twice in the 1990s, with Holyfield emerging victorious on both occasions; the second fight ended in disqualification after the infamous ear biting.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV after the fight, Holyfield needed just five words to sum up Tyson’s performance against Paul.
“It wasn’t good.”
He then explained why he believes “Iron Mike” did not perform at his best.
“You could tell something was wrong with Tyson’s leg. He was off balance.”
Holyfield finished with a brief summary of Paul after his victory.
“He’s a pretty good fighter.”
Holyfield wasn’t the only former heavyweight champion to sum up the fight, as Lennox Lewis also needed just a few words to describe the fight involving his former opponent.
