Gavin Vondercrone
Sports Editor
In the midst of an abundance of oddities, gloating and lag, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson had a boxing match on Friday, Nov. 15.
If you enjoy watching 27-year-old men reluctantly swipe at senior citizens like a cat for eight rounds, then this certainly would’ve been the fight for you.
To even call the events that transpired that evening a “match” would be a disgrace to the sport of boxing. It was so uneventful, that the commentators were more focused on Tyson biting his gloves than anything else.
After eight rounds of nothing in its purest form, Paul was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
To think that a boxing match between a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, who hadn’t boxed professionally in almost 20 years, and a 27-year-old, former Disney Channel star in Jake Paul would be anything other than a cash grab would be foolish.
It was very clear that the entire purpose of this fight was to make money and generate clicks. From promotional training videos on social media to unusual press conference interactions, both contestants made sure to do everything in their power to draw in an audience.
And draw in an audience they did. On top of bringing in a sellout crowd of over 70,000 at A&T stadium, it also drew in over 108 million live global viewers according to the event’s streaming platform Netflix. On top of this, both fighters made quite the pretty penny, with Paul and Tyson reportedly taking home $40 million and $20 million respectively.
The goal of the event was a success. Both men managed to convince people that this would be an event worth watching, and will now reap the benefits.
Why did people choose to watch something that was so clearly doomed to be another influencer slog fest from the very beginning? For some, like Jonathan Ali, biology major, it was the chance to finally see the great “Iron Mike” in action.
“I honestly wanted to see Mike Tyson knock someone out,” said Ali. “When I had heard stories from my father about how Iron Mike was unstoppable back then, I wanted to see how lethal he really was.”
For others (including myself), the match served as a classic case of “hate-watching.” The chance to see someone as braggadocious as Paul finally get put in his place was incredibly appealing, and drew the attention of many as a result.
This level of hatred towards Paul is nothing new. The social media star has generated many negative reactions through his boasting and bragging of his boxing talent. While he does post a solid career record of 11-1, it is important to put into context who those victories came against.
Below are some opponents Paul has defeated in his short career.
- Retired NBA player Nate Robinson (36 years old at the time of the fight)
- Retired MMA fighter Ben Askren (36 years old at the time of the fight)
- Retired MMA fighter Tyron Woodley twice (39 years old at the time of both fights)
- Retired MMA fighter Anderson Silva (47 years old at the time of the fight)
- YouTuber AnEnsonGib (24 years old at the time of the fight)
It’s no surprise that Paul has garnered as much criticism as he had throughout his career. The majority of his wins have come against opponents who either have little boxing experience in their own right, or are over a decade older than him. The right to brag as if he were in the upper echelon of modern-day boxers is completely unearned.
Ironically enough, Paul’s single loss of his career came against Tommy Fury, an active boxer around his age.
Will this most recent disgrace of a fight serve as an eye-opener for viewers? No. Paul will likely challenge another big-time name twice his age once again and the same cycle will repeat.
Regardless if Paul’s next opponent is Joe Biden or some random person’s grandfather, people will tune it. When it’s all said and done, we’ll all find ourselves in the same situation, questioning why we even invest any time into influencer boxing.