The former world heavyweight champion lost his fight in eight rounds by judges’ decision against his media opponent Jake Paul, this Friday in Texas.
“I have nothing to prove to anyone other than myself, I was happy with what I was able to do,” reacted the fifty-year-old.
This highly anticipated opposition experienced some broadcasting problems during its live broadcast on Netflix.
He had not boxed professionally since June 2005 and a defeat against the Irishman Kevin McBride. Mike Tyson came out of retirement this Friday for a high-profile fight hosted by Netflix. Despite a good start to the fight, the 58-year-old heavyweight legend was no match for YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 31 years his junior. Declared the winner unanimously by the judges after 8 rounds of 2 minutes, the latter saluted “a legend, the greatest in history” following their in-ring clash in Arlington, Texas.
I’m obsessed with biting
Mike Tyson
“I admire him, he inspires me. We wouldn’t be here without him today. This man is an icon, it’s just an honor to be able to fight against him”declared the American to more than 20 million subscribers on YouTube. It was he who challenged Mike Tyson, the youngest world champion in his category in 1986. The influencer was born 11 years later… Made official in the spring, their meeting in the ring was first scheduled for July 20 before being postponed while the sports legend recovers from an ulcer. Many observers, notably former American boxing world champion Deontay Wilder, had expressed their concern at seeing a nearly sixty-year-old lined up in a professional fight, saying they feared a serious injury.
The organizers took this criterion into account, adapting the rules by replacing the 12 rounds of 3 minutes with 8 rounds of two minutes. Even the champion’s ego did not seem to be knocked out by this defeat. “I am happy, I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself, I was happy with what I was able to do”commented Tyson, seen biting his glove, slightly thicker than usual.
“I’m obsessed with bites.”added the man who will remain known for having torn off a piece of the ear of one of his opponents in 1997. A cult sequence which Jake Paul made fun of by sporting, two days before the fight, an ear protector estimated at 100,000 dollars per TMZ (new window). A staggering sum among others, millions of dollars having been committed to the two fighters (new window) but also on sports betting sites.
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More than 72,000 people attended this fight on site. From a distance, it was something else. In parallel with the online release of Countdown : Paul vs. Tyson Documenting their preparation, Netflix had offered a live broadcast to all its subscribers but many complained of connection problems. Ours loaded into the void for a long time, without ever giving us access to the images of the event.
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