by unanimous decision Jake Paul 28 a.k.a the problem child was announced the winner of the controversial fight against Mike Tyson 58 a.k.a iron Mike . The fight took place on Friday 15th November 2024 and was held at the AT&T stadium in Arlington Texas where a total of 72,300 people gathered to watch the fight . The fight was also streamed live on Netflix and received a whopping 65 million streams worldwide.
The fight was viewed as controversial for a multitude of reasons . The 31 year age gap was a factor as people thought this was not a fair fight and there is now way possible Jake would have managed to have beaten Mike when he was in the prime of his boxing career. Many people viewed the fight as a spectacle rather than a genuine sporting contest. Some people had questioned the ethics of the fight as Tyson was prohibited from throwing any uppercuts . According to firstpost “the fight was seen by many as a sham”
The fight is speculated to have been held at the AT&T stadium as it is easier to obtain a license in the state of Texas as other states were more reluctant to sanction and license the fight due to Tyson’s age and and a number of health concerns . The fight was originally due to take place July 20th 2024 but was postponed due to Tyson’s poor health and an ulcer flare up .
There had also been heavy speculation that the fight was in fact rigged. Rigging a professional boxing match is a federal crime in the United States. These claims have been categorically denied by MVP (most valuable promotions) and TDLR (Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations) MVP said the fight was a “professional fight sanctioned by the state of Texas each boxer was able to use his full arsenal to win the fight” MVP also stated that Netflix would not have streamed the fight if it was illegitimate.
It has now been reported that neither Tyson or Paul were indeed subjected to drug tests prior to the fight which has caused more uproar and stirred more controversy . Promoter Eddie Hearn has been quoted saying “It was actually sad to watch . If I was Jake Paul , I’d feel a bit embarrassed to be honest with you . This is dangerous , irresponsible and in my opinion disrespectful to the sport of boxing.”