Netflix viewers overwhelmed by the ‘sad’ fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson

On By Littum

It was billed as one of the biggest, most controversial boxing matches of all time. However, on the night Mike Tyson and Jake Paul failed to live up to the hype after the YouTuber ended eight uneventful rounds by paying his respects to the veteran boxer.

Paul, 27, was widely criticized for choosing to fight Tyson, who is 58 and had not fought professionally for 19 years.

Those hoping for a triumphant Tyson comeback were left breathless as the former champion fell short on points (80-72, 79-73, 79-73).

Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson on points
Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson on points (Getty Images)

During the match, neither man was successful in knocking the other to the ground. Rounds were a short two minutes instead of the standard three, meaning the pair only traded blows for a total of 16 minutes.

“I wanted the shorter rounds because I wanted more action,” Tyson said at a press conference in May 2024. “If we only have two minutes, we want to fight more.”

On Twitter/X, several fans vented their frustration over the match, which ended with Paul bowing out to his friend and former mentor.

“I just wasted my life on this trash fight,” wrote one angry viewer.

“The loser of this #PaulTyson fight was Netflix,” wrote another.

“Waste of time, staged and sad,” said a third person.

“The most disappointing match on the entire card,” added a fourth.

In Friday night’s co-main event, Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano in their rematch in what turned out to be another classic following the Puerto Rican’s gruesome cut following a headbutt from the Irishwoman.

“Not sure what I expected but #PaulVsTyson was a complete joke and a waste of time. Sad. Especially after two big fights right before on the undercard, a fifth person wrote on X.

While the match purses have not been officially revealed, Paul claimed at a press conference in August: “I’m here to make $40 million and knock out a legend.”

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Tyson will earn about $20 million. according to friend and former UFC champion Henry Cejudo.

The result moved Paul to 11-1 as a pro as he built on numerous victories over mixed martial arts stars and lesser-known boxers.

The fight was Tyson’s first pro outing since 2005, when he was knocked out by Kevin McBride, although he did box Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition as recently as 2020.

On the night, several viewers complained about the Netflix live stream, with many encountering buffering issues during the match.

Netflix declined The independent‘s request for comment on the buffering issues.

Audio issues also plagued the commentary team as Evander Holyfield appeared to be unable to hear announcer Kate Abdo through his earphones. Later, Jerry Jones had to borrow Michael Irvin’s microphone after his broke.

The game played out in front of 70,000 fans at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and millions watching at home.