Social media star-turned-boxer Jake Paul secured a unanimous decision victory over former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in their much-anticipated professional fight on Friday night in Arlington, Texas, CNN reported.
In front of a crowd of 72,300 at AT&T Stadium, Paul dominated much of the bout against Tyson, earning a unanimous decision victory and becoming only the sixth fighter to defeat the former heavyweight champion.
The bout between the 27-year-old social media influencer-turned-prizefighter and the 58-year-old ex-heavyweight champion was streamed live on Netflix.
The win boosts Jake Paul’s professional record to 11-1, with seven knockouts, solidifying his position as a credible contender in boxing.
The fans were left largely disappointed as Tyson — given his age — was never able to generate any offence against his younger opponent and landed just 18 punches against Paul’s 78.
“First and foremost, Mike Tyson — it’s an honor to be able to fight him,” said Paul.
“It was as tough and hard as I thought it would be.”
He said the former champion was an icon and it was an honour for him to fight him.
“He’s the G.O.A.T. I look up to him, I’m inspired by him, and we wouldn’t be here today without him.”
Tyson, who wore a knee brace, never mounted much of a challenge after being wobbled by some left hands in the third round, but did enough defending to avoid taking any serious damage.
He admitted after the contest to fighting through a leg injury.
“Yeah, but I can’t use that as an excuse. If I did, I wouldn’t be in here,” Tyson said.
“I knew he was a good fighter. He was prepared, I came to fight. I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself. I’m not one of those guys that live to please the world. I’m just happy with what I can do.”
Tyson, one of the most fearsome heavyweight champions of all time during his heyday in the late 1980s and early 1990s, was in his first professional fight in nearly 20 years. He was non-committal when asked if he would return to the ring again.
“I don’t know. It depends on the situation,” he said.
Paul (11-1) said he can now fight anyone he wants, possibly even Mexican Canelo Alvarez, after being the main attraction in the mega event that brought out a star-studded crowd and 72,300 fight fans to the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
“This is the biggest event, over 120 million people on Netflix. We crashed the site, The biggest US boxing gate, $20 million, in US history, and everyone is next on the list.”