Mike Tyson pocked $20 million for the fight against Jake Paul
Mike Tyson has opened up on his huge Netflix boxing match with Jake Paul and it’s rather worrying.
On 15 November, Tyson, 58, returned to the ring to fight the YouTuber-turned-boxer in a Netflix event that went down as the most streamed sporting event in history.
Overall, more than 108 million people watched the event live as it happened live from the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with millions more watching on catch up.
Paul, 27, easily won the fight, with Iron Mike’s age showing after the first two rounds in which he very much held his own against a man 31 years younger than him.
Both fighters, who were suspended after the bout, shook hands at the end of the fight; a moment in the rumble where Jake’s brother Logan Paul was forced to apologise after allegations of ‘stealing the moment’ were put forward.
Speaking since the fight, Tyson spoke to Rich Davis and Steve Covino on The Covino & Rich Show where he made worrying remarks about how the fight actually went in real time.
“Listen, you know what I remember,” Tyson said.
“Coming back from the first round and then the next thing I remember Jake is doing some kind of, I don’t know; what was he doing?”
Mike Tyson got a bruising from Jake Paul (Al Bello / Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)
Responding, host Rich Davis explained he was bowing at the end of the fight in respect of Tyson.
“That’s the last thing I remember,” he said.
When asked about Paul’s fighting prowess, the boxer said that all he remembers is his body being ‘sore’ the next day.
He said: “I don’t remember it. But my body was really sore (after the fight). My chest, my stomach was really sore.
“The day after I woke up and said to my wife, ‘why did I do that?’ I just don’t know what the hell was going on.”
Following the fight, Tyson revealed in a statement issued afterwards that he was ‘grateful’ for the opportunity and had ‘no regrets’.
However, his son Amir said he thinks Tyson is ‘done’.
He said: “I think he’s done. My step-mom, she’s saying he’s done and they’re a team. That’s husband and wife stuff.”
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul duked it out recently (Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
The fight was officially put on both boxers’ records, with Paul moving to 11 wins and one loss; the single loss coming against Tommy Fury.
Tyson’s record looks a lot bigger than this younger competitor, winning 50 boxing matches and now losing seven.
Following the fight, Jake Paul’s boxing promotion company Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) moved to respond to claims the fight was ‘criminally rigged’.
A statement from the company said: “Rigging a professional boxing match is a federal crime in the United States of America. Paul vs. Tyson was a professional match sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR).
“Both fighters in good faith performed to the best of their abilities with the goal of winning the fight.
“There were absolutely no restrictions – contractual or otherwise – around either fighter.”