Jake Paul bows to Mike Tyson during the game.© X (Twitter)
The heavyweight showdown between boxing great Mike Tyson and American YouTuber Jake Paul may have ended in disappointment for Tyson, but a small gesture by Paul won many hearts. Paul dominated the eight-round affair, but seemingly did not go all-out against 58-year-old Tyson, who had fought his first professional boxing match after nearly 20 years. In the final seconds of the final round, Paul instead chose to pay his respect to Tyson, bowing down in front of the former world heavyweight champion.
The moment ensured that the contest – which became heated following Tyson slapping Jake Paul ahead of the match – ended in a heartwarming manner.
Jake Paul bows to Mike Tyson at the end of the match. #PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/FUQGZVyADQ
— Netflix (@netflix) November 16, 2024
“It was an honour to be in the ring with him. I was trying to hurt him but I was scared he was going to hurt me. I did my best,” Paul said after the fight.
In his prime, Tyson was one of the best heavyweight boxers in the world, being the undisputed world heavyweight champion between 1987 and 1990. Following the bout, Paul hailed Tyson as the ‘G.OA.T.’ (Greatest Of All Time).
The commentator of the event had stated before the bout that Tyson used to be an idol of Jake Paul’s father.
The match, which was counted in the professional boxing record of both, was won by Paul after he was unanimously declared the winner by all three judges. The judges scored Paul 80-72. 79-73 and 79-73 respectively.
Many had criticised the fact that Tyson had returned to boxing at the age of 58, fearing that the fight against 27-year-old Paul may do physical harm to Tyson’s body. However, Tyson rubbished any allegations that money was his only motive.
“You have a YouTuber that has 70 million fans. And I’m the greatest fighter since the beginning of life, so what does that make? That makes an explosion of excitement,” said Tyson to Interview magazine before the game.
Topics mentioned in this article
