The Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing event on Friday, November 15th, may be remembered as the largest and possibly the strangest athletic event ever. The card consisted of four fights starting with Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes at middleweight, then Mario Barros vs. Abel Ramos at welterweight. This preceded the co-main event, a super lightweight world championship rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. Taylor and Serrano’s 2nd meeting resulted in the most viewed women’s sporting event ever recorded with upwards of 70 million estimated viewers. Taylor won in the end in a controversial decision with a score of 95-94 after 10 brutal rounds.
Months of excitement boiled over as the YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul rode out to the ring on the back of a truck wearing a one million-dollar pair of shorts decked out in diamonds. Meanwhile, the legendary Tyson who many regard as one of if not the greatest boxer to ever live, walked down to his corner in plain black everlast shorts in front of 70,000 spectators at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The round started and it seemed for a moment that the 58-year-old Tyson hadn’t skipped a beat and may have a chance at beating a 27-year-old in his athletic prime. This mirage soon faded as Tyson looked powerless after the first round, his punches got slower, and he struggled to move his legs to create distance between him and his opponent. The show dragged on for 8 two-minute rounds, with Paul showing mercy to Tyson, who looked exhausted and slow. Tyson landed just 18 punches in what is likely his last-ever professional boxing match.
While the fight itself disappointed its 108 million viewers it’s a marvel in itself that Tyson was able to compete. Tyson, just two years ago, was left wheelchair bound after suffering from a nerve disease called Sciatica. Then, in the middle of his training regime, Tyson was struck with a near-fatal ulcer flare-up, pushing the date of the fight from June 20th to November 15th. It wasn’t just the matchup which sparked controversy though, as technical errors arising from unprecedented viewership resulted in a fight that was almost unwatchable, making a poor debut for live Netflix streaming. However, these problems didn’t hurt the fighters’ earnings, Reportedly Paul was paid $40 million and Paul $20 million in what may be his last fight ever. This fight seemed like the culmination of years of “influencer boxing” where social media stars trade in cameras for gloves. This style of fight has grown to be lucrative for the boxers but lacks a certain amount of substance and intensity for the viewer. As Jaiden Lee ’26 put it, “I don’t think a scripted fight would ever live up to the expectations of eager fans who wanted an actual exciting fight.” There is no question that the trajectory of professional boxing was changed by this fight, and it won’t surprise anybody if more celebrity fights ensue.