Paul Versus Tyson Fight (Farce) Was Anything But

Fight fans tuning into Netflix Friday night expecting to watch a boxing match between Jake Paul and Iron Mike Tyson were seemingly disappointed.

With approximately 72,000 fans piled into AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and an estimated 120 million streaming live, it cannot be denied that people were eager to see the legendary Tyson back in a ring for his first professional bout in 19 years.

The fight, which resembled two men doing the Cha-Cha-Cha, was “won” by Paul in an 8-round decision. Many fans grinded their teeth as both boxers held back and never went into attack mode. Many said the fix was in and that the fight was more like an exhibition and seemed to be choreographed by the promoters.

Frankly, it wasn't a fight. It was a business deal for money. Paul received $40 million, Tyson $20 million, and Netflix – those buffering buffoons – received a whopping $100 million. Tyson’s pre-fight slap of Paul was the most and best action of the fight. They definitely did a great job promoting this pathetic money grab. 

Think about it. It was the 27-year-old Paul against the 58-year-old Tyson. No match at all, right? They both got paid a lot of money because people thought it was a legitimate fight between an aged warrior and an emerging entertainer who has developed skills as a boxer. It was extremely disappointing and let down the fans who were expecting a great heavyweight boxing match.

All the hype about wanting to killing each other in the ring was an absolute joke. As bad as the fight was, the announcers were worse; they were goofy at best. Promotors did everything to help level the playing field for Tyson as they reduced the length of the bout to eight rounds, the size of the gloves (16-ounce), and the length of the rounds (two minutes).

Paul – the ultimate showman - has a track record of people he's fought. His tactic is to fight either UFC fighters, amateur boxers, or bring boxers out of retirement. Paul actually could have finished off Tyson in the early rounds. He simply held back and showed pity against Tyson, a man three decades older than him. He showed respect to Tyson in the last 10 seconds of the final round by bowing to the former heavyweight champ.

Tyson, meanwhile, had a bad wheel and didn’t throw nearly any punches. Not because he couldn't. Not because he was gassed or old or broken or incapable. He made a choice. Did he make that choice because they had a prearranged deal? Did he make that choice because his career is over and humiliating another human isn't worth it? Did he make that choice because he was getting a payday either way, and this is probably the biggest windfall he could have dreamed of? Who knows. But anyone who saw that fight and actually watched Tyson knows that if he had really tried to score a knockout,  Paul would have been picking himself up off that mat.

Iron Mike was a great fighter, maybe the best of all time, but he is 58. He is a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion which he did before turning 27 (which is Paul’s current age).

The scary thing was that Tyson’s bull-like power was still there and even his quickness and defense looked formidable at times. He showed flashes of his old self; he just didn't want it or go after it.

The killer instinct was simply not there. But let's be real - he's 58 and that diminishes with age along with everything else.

I do have to hand it to Tyson. At 58, there’s no winning against aging. But he held up through all eight rounds and is in excellent physical condition. We saw a man who battled addiction and mental health to get to where he is today. That, my friends, it the biggest win in all of this turmoil.

I must say the three undercard bouts were fantastic – especially the women’s scrap between undisputed World Junior welterweight champ Katie Taylor, the head-butting Queen, and Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano, who was bloodied and courageous.

If Netflix plans on producing another boxing spectacle, the only fight I would consider watching would be Will Smith vs. Chris Rock.