Olayiwola Matthew
Mike Tyson’s return to boxing ended in a one-sided defeat on Friday, with Youtuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul cruising to victory by unanimous decision against the heavyweight icon in Texas.
Tyson, 58, barely landed a punch during the eight-round bout at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with Paul winning by big margins on all three cards — 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.
Paul, 27, used his superior speed and movement to dominate the ageing Tyson with ease, and had the former undisputed heavyweight champion in trouble after landing a flurry of punches in the third round.
Yet the younger fighter was unable to land the knockout blow he had promised to deliver during Thursday’s ill-tempered weigh-in, where Tyson slapped him across the face.
Tyson, however, looked every bit of his 58 years, managing to land only a handful of meaningful punches during the fight.
Final statistics showed Tyson connected with just 18 of 97 punches thrown while Paul threw some 278 punches and landed 78 of them.
As the final seconds of the eighth round counted down, Paul could even afford to bow in respect to Tyson before the bell sounded.
Mike Tyson explains why he kept biting his glove
Tyson said he repeatedly bit his glove during his fight because he has “a biting fixation”.
Tyson, 58, appeared to bite his glove numerous times during his fight against Paul, 27, as the controversial fight played out at AT&T Stadium – home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Paul emerged a winner on all three scorecards – 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 – after eight two-minute rounds, with the bout streaming live on Netflix.
The boxing showdown may have their share of winners and losers but Tyson will be taking away a truckload of cash for his stellar efforts, that too, at his age. A CBS News report has claimed that it is being estimated he’ll make around $20 million for his fight with Jake Paul.
Paul, for his efforts, is set to earn $40 million, according to an estimate from DraftKings Network. This nearly a double of what Tyson will be making, but it must also be noted that the amount of endorsement and engagement that was seen, would not have become a reality if it was not for such a huge social media sensation like Jake Paul.