On November 3, 2023, it was reported that Netflix was considering streaming a boxing match involving Jake Paul on their service.[7]
On March 7, 2024, Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions announced that they were partnering to host an event headlined by Paul facing former undisputed heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.[4] On April 2, Tyson confirmed at the time the bout was sanctioned as an exhibition bout.[8] On April 10, Paul confirmed that they would be submitting a request to the Texas Combative Sports Program for the bout to be sanctioned as a professional bout.[9] On April 29, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations confirmed it approved the fighters' request and that the bout would be a sanctioned, professional fight.[10]
On May 31, Netflix announced that the event had been postponed due to Tyson suffering a ulcer flare up while boarding a plane.[11] Paul took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to call out his rival and fellow YouTuber-turned-professional boxer KSI to replace Tyson.[12] KSI responded and declined the offer stating he has a bout scheduled in August.[13] On June 7, Netflix confirmed the event was rescheduled to November 15.[14]
Pre-fight press conferences
Three pre-fight press conferences were held in the following cities:
During the final press conference, Tyson slapped Paul after Paul stepped on his toe during their face off.[17]
Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson
On October 24, Netflix announced an original documentary series titled Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson would premier its first two episodes on November 7 and the final episode on November 12.[18] The series debuted at number 4 on Netflix's Global Top 10, with 4.4 million viewers.[19] Each episode was narrated by Ice-T.[20]
The bout between Paul and Tyson was sanctioned as a professional bout by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations, with the ruleset being altered slightly.[10] The bout was eight rounds of two minutes each (similar to the amateur masters boxing rules that rounds are limited to two minutes) with 14-ounce gloves (slightly lighter than the masters boxing rule of 16 ounces). Knockouts and knockdowns were permitted, and no headgear was present (unlike masters boxing, which require headgear).[28]
In the first round, both fighters entered in an orthodox stance, both throwing punches at each other. However, by the second round, Tyson seemed to have already been tired out and had lost momentum, which is a pattern that would continue throughout the fight. At the end of the last round, Paul bowed to Tyson, showing his respect and the two fighters embraced.[30]
Paul won via unanimous decision. After the bout, Tyson indicated that he will not retire after this bout and proceeded to call out Paul's brother Logan, which Logan responded by saying "I'd kill you, Mike" to Tyson.[31]
Laurence Cole
David Iacobucci
Jesse Reyes
Paul
Tyson
Paul
Tyson
Paul
Tyson
79
73
80
72
79
73
Reported purses
It was reported that Paul's expected purse was $40 million, and Tyson's was $20 million.[32] Taylor is projected to earn $6.1 million while Serrano claimed her purse was much larger.[33]
Controversies
Paul–Tyson age difference
Many criticized Paul for fighting Tyson due to the significant age difference. The 31-year age difference between Tyson and Paul is the largest age difference in professional boxing history.[34] Former UFC Middleweight ChampionSean Strickland criticized Paul on X, stating, "this should be illegal", with current Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis agreeing.[35][36] Fellow YouTuber-turned-boxer KSI described the bout on Instagram as "elderly abuse".[37]
Altercation at weigh-in
During the weigh-in the day prior to the match, Paul stepped on Tyson's toes; Tyson has been on record stating he has foot problems due to health issues including sciatica, and has an aversion to people stepping on them.[38][39] Tyson slapped Paul across the face, afterwards telling the New York Post "I was in my socks and he had on shoes. He stepped on my toe because he is a fucking asshole. I wanted to think it happened by accident. But now I think it may have happened on purpose," adding "I was in a lot of pain. I had to reciprocate."[40] In social media posts, some speculated that Tyson's slap was in response to Paul making a racist gesture by climbing on stage and walking up to Tyson on all fours, imitating the knuckle-walking done by gorillas and chimpanzees.[41][38]African Americans have historically been dehumanized with comparisons to non-human primates, including in sports.[42][43]
Netflix technical issues
Netflix has been criticized for widespread technical difficulties that plagued the event's livestream.[44] Many viewers tuning in were unable to watch the fight due to buffering. Many microphones and earpieces also experienced difficulties, with interviewee Evander Holyfield struggling to hear the host of the show because of issues with his earpiece.[5] According to Downdetector, around 90,000 viewers reported outages in the hour leading up to the fight.[3]
Allegations of fixing
Following the fight, a number of outlets expressed concerns that the fight was staged. Just before the fight started, a purported fight script was uploaded online, though the authenticity was doubted.[45] Due to Paul claiming he "pulled his punches" after the fight,[46] a video from the third round where Paul exposed his chin but Tyson did not hit him despite preparing to punch, claimed it was evidence of the fight being faked.[47] In response, Most Valuable Promotions claimed that it could not have been scripted as that would have been illegal and a violation of the boxing license of both Texas Department of Licensing and Regulating Commission.[48] Other media outlets also cited that any pulling of punches would have been done out of respect or sympathy and was not evidence of the fight being scripted.[49]
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