ARLINGTON, Texas — Jake Paul last Friday night revered the elder ‘elf’ he despised and promised to kill just 24 hours earlier.
Paul, 27, was clearly wary of the power of 58-year-old Mike Tyson and approached the former heavyweight champion cautiously throughout the eight-round fight in a packed AT&T Stadium. Worse, an older and more inactive Tyson, who infamously bit Evander Holyfield in their rematch 27 years ago, spent more time gnawing at his gloves than throwing punches and barely let go of his hands after the second round. The point is that it wasn’t done.
The scorecard reflected Tyson’s inability to land much offense. Judge David Iacobucci (80-72) scored a sound defeat for Paul, who won seven rounds each on the cards of Judge Laurence Cole (79-73) and Jesse Reyes (79-73).
This unanimous decision loss affects Tyson’s record (50-7, 44 KO, 2 NC) because it was an official fight. They fought only eight two-minute rounds and wore 14-ounce gloves to account for Tyson’s age and inactivity.
Tyson also admitted to Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani in a post-fight interview that he entered the ring with some type of injury to his lower right leg. He wore protective sleeves during combat.
Tyson also said he might fight again despite Friday’s performance.
Paul, who admitted the strength of his opponent was “frightening”, applauded Tyson for helping draw massive crowds to the Dallas Cowboys’ home stadium and a live audience on Netflix that Paul claims has reached 120 million. Sent.
“More than anything, Mike Tyson, it’s an absolute honor,” Paul said. “Let’s give it up for Mike, bro. he is a legend He’s the best person to ever do it. He is a goat. He’s the best person to ever do it. I am inspired by him, and without him we would not be here today. This man is an icon and it’s an honor to fight him. And he’s obviously the toughest, baddest guy on the planet, so it was really hard, just like I expected.”
Paul, 31 years younger than Tyson but a true cruiserweight and relatively inexperienced, has consistently been ranked as a 2-1 favorite over Tyson.
An exhausted Tyson said he was not surprised that Paul had gone the distance with him.
“I knew he was a good fighter,” Tyson said. “I knew he was ready. I came to fight. … I didn’t prove anything to anyone, only myself. I am not the kind of person who wants to please the world. I am just satisfied with what I can do.”
Tyson amusingly added that he has a “biting obsession” to explain why he often puts his mouth to his gloves during his fights with Paul.
Unfortunately, his boxing timing was not as good as his comedic timing, which led to the type of poor performance suggested by his age group.
Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) has undoubtedly won five straight since his decision loss to British rival Tommy Fury, but it hasn’t been fun or effective.
“Look, I tried to hurt him a little.” said Paul. “But I was afraid he would hurt me. I’m trying to hurt him, but I’m trying my best. “I did my best.”
Tyson was aggressive from the start and landed a right hand about 30 seconds into the opening round that forced Paul to retreat. By then it was already clear that Paul was wary of Tyson’s vaunted power. But Tyson was warned for a low blow with about 15 seconds left in the first round, and perhaps the more important warning was given to fans in the arena and watching on Netflix around the world because Tyson looked tired after two minutes of action. no see. action.
The crowd booed as Paul clamped down on Tyson midway through the action-lacking second round.
Paul reached out more in the third round, while Tyson barely threw any punches during those two minutes. Paul clipped Tyson with a left hook as Tysom came forward 15 seconds into the third round.
Tyson and Paul slipped each other’s punches for most of the fourth round, which was futile for both boxers. Paul’s right to Tyson’s body was the most important shot of the fourth round.
Paul caught Tyson with a left and a right in just one minute of the fifth round. A reluctant Tyson mostly concealed himself and was unwilling or unable to fight back.
As the bell rang to end round six, many in the huge crowd expressed frustration at the lack of entertainment. Neither player attempted much offense in those two minutes.
There wasn’t much action in the eighth round, but Paul’s right-left combination got Tyson on his feet late in the seventh. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that by then they would have gone far.
Tyson has not competed in an official fight since June 2005, when Irish giant underdog Kevin McBride quit him on a chair after the sixth round. The youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history was brutally defeated by British underdog Danny Williams and WBC champion Lennox Lewis. Before losing to McBride, he had two knockout losses in three years.
An apologetic Tyson admitted after McBride said he no longer had a passion for boxing and should never fight again.
Nineteen years later, he agreed to face a 27-year-old opponent who had been a cruiserweight during his brief boxing career but was in his physical prime. Paul also scored knockouts against former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, retired NBA point guard Nate Robinson, and similarly experienced cruiserweights Andre August and Ryan Bourland before meeting Tyson.
