Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson in their long-anticipated boxing match on Friday (15.11.24).
Jake Paul beats Mike Tyson in long-awaited bout
The 27-year-old YouTube star had a resounding victory over the 58-year-old former world heavyweight champion, winning with a unanimous decision after eight rounds.
The pair were originally due to face off in July, but it was postponed after Tyson was rushed to hospital with an ulcer flare-up.
Their bout – which was livestreamed on Netflix – finally went ahead at the AT+T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, with Paul’s youth too much for Tyson.
Tyson – who was returning to the ring after a 19-year absence – had been confident ahead of the match, telling ESPN: “I’m bringing the devil himself [to the ring]. There are no feelings attached. My own mother should be very careful if she has to get in the ring with me. When it’s over, it’s over. But while the process is going on, my intention is to hurt him. I hope he has the same intentions, or he is in trouble.”
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Despite calling Paul a “friend”, Tyson slapped his opponent in a tense final face-off before their bout after he “stepped on [his] toes”.
The self-proclaimed ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ and ‘The Problem Child’ locked eyes before Tyson gave Paul an early hit when he smacked him across the face at the weigh-in at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, in Irving, Texas.
After security jumped in, Jake hit back at his “cute slap” by warning Mike he is “getting knocked the f*** out” in their boxing match.
Following the heated exchange, Tyson revealed he slapped his opponent because he stepped on his feet and he had no shoes on.
Speaking to The New York Post newspaper, he said: “I was in my socks and he had on shoes. He stepped on my toe… I wanted to think it happened by accident.
“But now I think it may have happened on purpose. I was in a lot of pain. I had to reciprocate.”