8 questions we’re answering after Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Jake Paul defeated Mike Tyson late Friday night in a much-hyped bout between two very different fighters.

All year, we have been following the hype on the fight – from ticket prices to odds, to a postponement because of Tyson’s health and more.

Here are eight questions and answers regarding the bout:

1. How did Paul win?

The biggest and most notable difference between them was their age – Paul is 27, Tyson is 58. That, in a boxing nutshell, was the deciding factor. One analyst said Tyson won the first two rounds and Paul won the remaining six, and that’s a tad generous. The main way for Tyson to have won this fight was to land a solid blow early before his wind ran out, and he didn’t do that. He was seriously outpunched by Paul, who won in a unanimous decision. The other issue was Paul’s five-inch reach advantage. For his part, Paul wasn’t entirely impressive. He could have run the ring more to tire Tyson faster. Paul is known for having a solid right, and it worked for him. But he had a habit of keeping his hands dangerously low on defense, something Tyson never took advantage of.

2. What was the gate?

The fight was recorded as the largest boxing gate outside of Las Vegas in U.S. history. It reportedly surpassed $17.8 million. That’s almost double the previous $9 million state combat sports gate record – that’s boxing or MMA – set by boxers Canelo Álvarez and Billy Joe Saunders in 2021.

3. How did Paul enter the ring?

Paul was escorted in a customized green Chevy truck to Phil Collins’ 1981 song, “In the Air Tonight.” A great choice, but it would have been fun to hear something Cleveland-related since Paul hails from Westlake (he lives in Puerto Rico).

4. How was the coverage?

To say the least, bizarre. Boxing enthusiast-actress Rosie Perez was a ringside analyst, and frankly didn’t embarrass herself. Analyst and former champion Roy Jones Jr. added little other than to repeatedly state that Tyson’s legs looked horrible. Mauro Ranallo was on the play-by-play and spent much of the fight arguing with Jones about why Tyson appeared to be biting his glove. Jones swore something was wrong with his mouthpiece; Ranallo kept replying it was a quirk of Tyson’s to bite his glove during fights. At one point he even said he hated to argue with a Hall of Famer, but he had seen enough Tyson fights to know. Turns out Ranallo is correct: The question came up in the post-fight ringside interview. Tyson admitted it’s a thing he does. The prefight troika of Kate Scott, Andre Ward and Cedric The Entertainer offered nothing but constant fawning over Tyson.

5. Were there any serious issues with the coverage?

I thought I would never ask. Netflix buffered, buffered and buffered some more. Netflix took the opportunity to tell fans the streaming network will host a pair of NFL games on Christmas Day – Kansas City-Pittsburgh and Baltimore-Houston. Here’s hoping they can get the buffering issues worked out by then. The voiceover on the promo: “Get ready for your new favorite holiday tradition.” Don’t know if they were referring to the football games or the buffering.

6. OK, who was at the fight?

Among the 72,300 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, were Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Gronkowski, “Karate Kid” stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, singer Joe Jonas, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and actress Charlize Theron. The attendance is a smidgen more than what Huntington Bank Stadium can hold for Cleveland Browns games.

7. What’s next for Jake Paul?

The bandied about rumor is Álvarez, who Paul all but dismissed in a ringside interview last night, saying he had to come to him.

8. What’s next for Mike Tyson?

Tyson left the door open. When asked if he would fight again he replied: “I don’t know, it depends on the situation. Maybe his brother.” Logan Paul, who was in the ring, replied: “(Expletive) I’d kill you.”

Previous Jake Paul-Mike Tyson coverage

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