Mike Tyson and Jake Paul were met with a chorus of boos during the midpoint of their much-anticipated fight, leading to thousands of fans making an early exit before the winner was declared.
The highly-promoted clash between the internet celebrity and the 58-year-old former heavyweight world champion was the talk of Texas, with Netflix providing global coverage of the event.
However, the match failed to live up to its billing, and by the halfway point, spectators had started to leave in droves. By the fight’s conclusion, it was evident from the muted response as Paul was declared the victor by unanimous decision against ‘Iron Mike’.
The scores read 80-72 from two judges and 79-73 from the third, marking Paul’s 11th win in his 12-fight career, the sole loss coming at the hands of both boxer and Love Island personality Tommy Fury.
Discontent brewed amongst the crowd due to the tepid performance, with Tyson hampered by a knee issue and Paul refraining from pursuing a knockout, even though his corner had encouraged him with, “You can stop Mike now” prior to the seventh round.
“Mike doesn’t have it anymore,” remarked Roy Jones Jr on Netflix commentary. “Legs are gone.”
Post-bout, with fewer fans left in the stands, Paul expressed his admiration in the ring: “Mike Tyson, it’s such an honour. Let’s give it up for Mike, the greatest to ever do it. We wouldn’t be here without him today with him, this man is an icon.”
“It’s just an honour to be able to fight him. It was really tough fight. I expected it to be.
“He was exactly what I thought. One of the greatest to ever do it. An icon. I was trying to hurt him a little bit. I was scared he was going to hurt me. I did my best.”
The nail-biting match saw Paul utilise his youthful agility to close in on Tyson, unleashing jabs before smartly moving back – much to spectators’ frustration. Heavy boos echoed as the fighters clinched.
Tyson’s retaliatory body blows marked the heated clashes within round one.
The second round mirrored the first with Paul keenly dodging Tyson’s signature powerful hits only to end in another clinch.
Come the third, Tyson blasted into the fray, met by a fusillade of left hooks from a bullish Paul. Riding a wave of confidence, the social media star managed consecutive punishing hits, leaving Tyson evidently relieved by the end of the round.
The combat continued into the fourth, Tyson visibly flagging behind a strategically striking Paul. Despite the mounting fatigue, Tyson still delivered a hefty right-hand to conclude the round.
Tyson held his own in the sixth, causing Paul to retreat from each attempted punch. The seventh saw both fighters exchanging powerful blows, culminating in Tyson landing a headshot.
However, by the final round, the fight was essentially over, with Tyson slowly rising from the corner stool. His once-famous power seemed to have diminished, and as the bell rang, the two fighters shared an embrace.
