- Mike Tyson went the distance in his first professional fight in nearly 20 years
- Jake Paul dominated the fight as an unsteady Tyson refused to throw punches
- Check out MailSport Boxing YouTube for interviews on the ground in Texas
UFC star Conor McGregor believes that Mike Tyson‘s fight against Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul was nothing more than a sparring match.
The controversial and heavily-anticipated bout went the full eight rounds in Arlington, Texas but all-out drama was in short supply as Tyson, 58, was unable to match the energy of his much younger opponent.
The former heavyweight champion threw just 97 punches as his condition worsened throughout the clash, while Paul, 27, refused to land a blow that would have ended the boxing legend’s night early.
Though the fight was professionally sanctioned – Tyson’s first in nearly two decades – it wreaked of an exhibition, something McGregor is familiar with having contested a combat sports crossover fight against Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
The outspoken Irishman took to social media after Paul’s unanimous decision win at the AT&T Stadium and insisted that what he had just witnessed was nothing more than a sparring session in a now deleted post on X.
‘A 16 minute spar in sparring gloves. F*** off.’ he wrote on the social media platform.
Jake Paul earned a unanimous decision victory over former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in Texas
UFC star Conor McGregor was not impressed by what he saw from the pair on Friday night
Tyson did just about enough to make the first the only round he won. Thereafter, the YouTuber kept doing enough to ensure his 11th victory in 12 fights but not sufficient to inflict serious damage on the boxing legend.
The underwhelming spectacle drew a few boos at the finish but most of the packed Dallas Cowboys Stadium enjoyed their bizarre night out and joined Paul in paying tribute to Tyson.
‘Mike Tyson, he’s a legend.’ Paul said after his win. ‘He’s the greatest to ever do it. I look up to him and we wouldn’t be here today without him. This man is an icon and it’s an honour to fight him. It was tough like I expected it to be.
‘He’s exactly what I thought, one of the greatest to ever do it. This night is not about me. I want to thank the real heroes, the US military, the doctor’s, the nurses, the nurses in the ER, the cops, the farmers… all the people that make this world go around.
‘I was trying to hurt him a little bit. I was scared he was going to hurt me. I’m trying to hurt him. I did my best.’
