Fans Bash Jake Paul-Mike Tyson Boxing Bout Disaster On Netflix
Millions of people around the world tuned into the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson bout, and they probably regretted every minute of it.
The event at AT&T Stadium was streamed on Netflix on Friday. It was the first foray into live sports for Netflix, and it didn’t seem like it was prepared. If you tuned in early for the preliminary card, you were likely fine. But if you tuned in during the main card, you probably dealt with a buffering screen and Netflix attempting to gaslight you into thinking your router was the issue. It got so bad that over six million people watched the fight from Antonio Brown’s recording on the video board.
Then came the fight, which started after midnight ET. The hype for Tyson was electric before the fight and during his entrance. However, after the bell rang, the 58-year-old looked every bit of his age. The former world heavyweight champion only landed 18 punches on Paul, who walked circles around his counterpart. The bout went the full eight rounds, and Paul won via unanimous decision.
Fans couldn’t help but bemoan the farce of a performance. Expert boxing fans were numb to the main event given the history of the sport that’s been more hype than delivering exciting action.
What made things even worse was the broadcast team. Mauro Ranallo irritated fans, and Rosie Perez did color commentary with Roy Jones Jr. for some reason. Cedric The Entertainer also was on the main broadcast with Kate Scott and Andre Ward because … reasons.
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano’s fight in the co-main event was the highlight of the night, but that also was mired in controversy. Taylor won the rematch via unanimous decision despite Serrano landing more punches and eating two head butts from the reigning light-welterweight champion. The result clouded what was another fight-of-the-year contender following the pair’s thriller at Madison Square Garden in 2022.
Despite all the controversy and a lame ending, the event generated record sales and likely record viewership based on Netflix’s streaming problems. Tyson literally showed his ass to the world, and Paul remains the most popular boxer in the world whose biggest wins were against washed-up MMA fighters and a near-60-year-old man.