Jake Paul and Mike Tyson went the distance in their heavyweight showdown with the YouTube star winning a unanimous decision
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson went the distance in their heavyweight showdown with the YouTube star winning a unanimous decision
Loudmouth YouTuber Jake Paul went the full distance with boxing legend Mike Tyson, 58, in his return to the ring. Despite winning every round of the eight-round contest on two judges’ scorecards, Paul never came close to knocking out Tyson, who is more than twice his age, in a fight that was very short of action.
This Netflix outing was Tyson’s first fight in four years and his first professional bout in nearly 20. The pair were originally scheduled to fight four months ago, but Tyson suffered an inflamed ulcer during a flight, causing him to collapse in the bathroom and cough up blood.
He was hospitalised but declared fit to resume training several weeks later, and the fight was rescheduled. Jake Paul made his entrance to the ring alongside his brother Logan in a custom Chevy, with Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight playing – the same song Tyson sang in his cameo in The Hangover.
READ MORE: David Coote issues two word response as under-fire referee suspended by UEFA and PGMOL
Tyson simply walked to the ring dressed entirely in black. Tyson started the first round as if he knew he had to stop Paul early, and it was the younger man who was forced to hold, reports the Mirror.
Tyson was clumsy in his movement but tried to land at every opportunity – he was warned for one low blow. Paul targeted the body at the start of the second round before moving upstairs with his right hand.
Tyson landed a glancing left hook before Paul clung on again. By the third round, Tyson’s best chance of winning seemed to have passed as he struggled to cope with increased pressure from Paul.
Supporters who were hoping for a resurgence of Iron Mike in the ring were likely coming to terms with their mistake, even though Paul wasn’t landing punches at will. He did dominate the fourth round, as Tyson struggled to respond.
Netflix unofficially scored the fight as a draw at the halfway point, but the reality was quite different as Paul began to pull ahead. However, it was clear that Paul was holding back, limiting himself to single shots, although a right hand did give Tyson something to think about before he responded with a punch of his own.
Paul seemed to be struggling with the extra weight after bulking up from cruiserweight, and the crowd became impatient with the lack of action in the sixth round. Paul increased the pressure in the penultimate session, but still seemed hesitant to fully commit.
A four-punch combination landed at the end of the round, but Tyson took it well. Paul clipped Tyson twice at the start of the final round, but the veteran fighter retaliated.
There was no late surge from either fighter as the match went to the judges, who awarded Paul a hollow victory with scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.
On the undercard, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano delivered another Fight of the Year contender, with the Irish star narrowly winning by a single point. Taylor had previously triumphed in their first encounter in New York two years ago via a split-decision, but it took almost three years for the rivals to agree on a rematch.
When it finally happened, it didn’t disappoint, with Taylor losing a point before being declared the winner with a score of 95-94 from each of the three judges.
Mario Barrios managed to retain his welterweight world title after recovering from a sixth-round knockdown to secure a draw against Abel Ramos. Barrios dominated from the start, staggering his opponent in the first round and knocking him down in the second.
However, he found himself on the canvas just before the halfway mark after taking successive right hands. Despite this, Barrios made it to the end of the round and a closely contested second half of the fight resulted in the three judges unable to separate the two men, announcing scores of 112-114, 116-110, 113-113.
The main card kicked off with a win for Neeraj Goyat who outscored Brazilian social media sensation Whindersson Nunes over six rounds. Goyat, who has repeatedly challenged Paul for a fight, dominated from the get-go but lacked the power needed to stop his less experienced opponent who has been making a name for himself on the influencer boxing circuit.
Shadasia Green claimed the world champion title on her second attempt by outscoring Melinda Watpool, while Lucas Bahdi’s victory over Armando Casamonica stirred some controversy. Casamonica, who stepped in at the last minute to replace an injured Corey Marksman, put up a commendable fight against Bahdi.
In the night’s opening bout, Bruce Carrington had to be content with a points win over Dana Coolwell.
