Mike Tyson is in ‘rough shape’ following his Netflix bout with Jake Paul and is ‘grateful’ that the YouTuber didn’t kill him as threatened, according to a source close to the legendary boxer.
The 58-year-old was soundly beaten in Arlington, Texas as 65million fans watched on Netflix, and it is now extremely unlikely that Iron Mike will be seen back in the ring.
Friday night’s fight lasted the entire eight rounds but Paul, 27, was crowned winner by unanimous decision, after bowing to his opponent and seemingly ending his onslaught before the final bell.
Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport, a source close to Tyson said: ‘Mike is so thankful that Jake did not kill him like he said he was going to.
‘Mike looked at this as the end of his boxing career because it is. He is in rough shape and was slightly embarrassed, but he also knows that, despite his win claim, he lost.
‘He is throwing in the towel. He was really hoping that he could end his career with a win but in the end, it was a win because he was paid millions. This is going right to his retirement fund.’
Mike Tyson, 58, takes a jab to the face from his 27-year-old opponent Jake Paul (left)
Tyson is ’embarrassed’ after the loss and grateful that Paul didn’t cause him serious damage
It has been estimated that Tyson made around $20million from the rescheduled fight, which was initially due to take place in July but was postponed due to an ulcer flare-up suffered by the iconic boxer.
Despite the delay, fans flocked to Netflix in their millions, sparking technical issues that left many unable to watch.
‘This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing stability of the stream for the majority of viewers,’ Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone wrote to employees in the aftermath, as reported by Bloomberg.
‘I’m sure many of you have seen the chatter in the press and on social media about the quality issues,’ she continued.
Fans on both sides of the Atlantic faced poor image quality, prolonged buffering and spotty audio throughout Friday’s undercard.
Meanwhile, hundreds online complained of error messages, while ‘#unwatchable’ began trending on X. And according to Downdetector, which tracks online outages, more than 80,000 customers were experiencing issues by 10:35pm New York time on Friday.
Despite this, Netflix sees the event as a positive, with Stone adding: ‘We don’t want to dismiss the poor experience of some members, and know we have room for improvement, but still consider this event a huge success.’
Paul (left) and Tyson (right) face off before their fight, which 65 million tuned in for
Even from Tyson’s ring walk, it was apparent that he was not going to match his younger rival
Tyson has been quiet in the aftermath of the fight, but he did take to social media on Saturday to reveal his post-fight thoughts.
‘This is one of those situations when you lost but still won,’ he said on X. ‘I’m grateful for last night. No regrets to get in ring one last time.
‘I almost died in June. Had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won.
‘To have my children see me stand toe to toe and finish 8 rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy stadium is an experience that no man has the right to ask for. Thank you.’
