Taylor-Serrano was the pinnacle of the sport, as good as it gets, but we were soon dragged into the circus that appears now engrained in modern boxing.
Tyson did not join his coaching team at the post-fight news conference. Their praise for his dedication to training offered little consolation to anyone who parted with their time or money to watch or attend the event.
Paul claims he carried ‘Iron Mike’ in the final part of the fight. “I wanted to give the fans a show but I didn’t want to hurt someone who didn’t need to be hurt,” he said.
If true, his comments only add to the ridicule.
Although the sport, with super fight and undisputed champions being crowned, is in a solid place after investment from Saudi Arabia, events like Tyson v Paul do still impact ‘proper’ boxing.
Diehard fans criticise the huge amount of media coverage it was given compared to – for example – Briton Chris Billam-Smith’s cruiserweight unification fight against Gilberto Ramirez in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Yet the event’s appeal is hard to ignore. Paul drew in a younger audience and Tyson is one of the most famous men on the planet. It crossed languages, genres and generations, with commentary offered in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French and German.
Netflix says it will reveal further viewing figures on Tuesday and Most Valuable Promotions hinted there could be more Jake Paul fights streamed on the platform.
But having dipped their toes in live boxing, perhaps Netflix will now retreat. Or maybe when further viewing figures are officially released, organisers will begin planning the next boxing-entertainment crossover to lure in the masses.
Belgium
