Jake Paul beats Mike Tyson in Netflix boxing match overshadowed by technical glitches and bare butt
Viewers got a generous glimpse of Tyson's tush — if the streamer's buggy livestream let them see anything at all.
Legendary 58-year-old boxer Mike Tyson was no match for 27-year-old Jake Paul.
The YouTuber-turned-fighter beat the former heavyweight champion by a unanimous decision on Netflix's first-ever live boxing event on Friday at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. After eight two-minute rounds of sparring between the two men — whose age gap is more than the younger athlete's actual age — the judges declared victory for Paul, scoring the match 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.
The lackluster fight was Tyson's first officially sanctioned professional match in nearly 20 years — he last got in the ring for an official pro competition in June 2005. The event was originally scheduled to take place in July, but it was postponed after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up in May.
Paul claimed that he would "make $40 million and knock out a legend" during an Aug. 18 press conference. Tyson and the fight's promoters have not revealed his ultimate payout, though DraftKings reported that the boxer's friend, former UFC champion Henry Cejudo, estimated that he'd make around $20 million.
Related: Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight postponed due to Tyson's recent health scare
But the matchup offered far more entertaining drama outside the ring. During the duo's weigh-in on Thursday, Tyson straight-up slapped Paul in the face after his opponent reportedly stepped on his foot. "It's personal now. He must die!" Paul said in response.
Another widely discussed moment occurred when Tyson's son, Amir, interviewed him before the fight. When asked what the outcome would be, the boxer predicted he'd emerge with a "vicious win" — then walked away sans shorts as the camera zoomed out to reveal Tyson's almost completely exposed bare butt. Live television, baby!
Mike Tyson's pre-fight interview got real cheeky. #PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/xPR3L0R9C0
— Netflix (@netflix) November 16, 2024
Paul rolled up to the ring in a green car blasting Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight," which Tyson memorably belted before sucker punching Zach Galifianakis in 2009's The Hangover. Tyson showed up with "Murdergram" by Ja Rule, Jay-Z, and DMX playing in the background.
Related: Mike Tyson accuses Hulu of stealing his life story for upcoming miniseries, calls it exploitation
But audiences will likely remember the event more for its technical difficulties than for any significant moments in the matchup itself. Netflix's broadcast was marred by subpar streaming quality and widespread buffering issues, and the narrative of the social media chatter surrounding the event was dominated by complaints about viewers' inability to actually watch the fight. Outage tracker Downdetector logged hundreds of thousands of error reports on the service over the course of the broadcast. Netflix has faced similar issues with other live events (here's looking at you, Love Is Blind reunion).
The event comes at a critical moment for Netflix, as the streamer seeks to continue expanding its live sports capabilities after securing deals to broadcast two Christmas Day NFL games and eventually become the new home of WWE's Raw in January. Netflix had similar technical glitches in its first live sports broadcast, the Formula 1-golfing crossover The Netflix Cup, in November 2023.
The streaming service did, however, successfully channel the evening into a massive marketing blitz for its other offerings. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, who rose to international fame as the subject of the streamer's America's Sweethearts documentary series, opened the evening with a live performance — a fitting choice given the fact that the fight took place at the Cowboys' home stadium. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka were also in the crowd, and the livestream debuted a new trailer for the final season of their hit show, Cobra Kai. Spectators dressed as Squid Game guards also made an appearance during the broadcast to promote the show's forthcoming second season.
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