The Gimmick Fight of Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson is often considered as the G.O.A.T of boxing as he has a record of 50 wins, 6 losses, and 2 no-contest. He has 44 knockouts, making him an unstoppable force in the boxing ring. In 2024, after 19 years of his retirement Mike Tyson is returning to the ring to face Jake Paul, a YouTuber turned boxer.
Why is this fight happening?
Netflix is showing internet in diversifying the content since it is facing major competition from Amazon Prime, Disney +, and Max. Netflix has a total of 260 million subscribers worldwide, which is the reason Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul has the potential to break all the past records in sports history regarding viewership. Mike Tyson is currently 57 years old. Still, he is one of the most popular sportspersons who ever lived, and this match would get significant excitement among fans.
On the other hand, Jake Paul is a famous American YouTuber with 20 million followers who have recently performed in the WWE. Jake Paul has an impressive win streak as he has won 9 matches, 6 with Kos, and lost only 1 match. However, Jake has always faced the criticism that he has never faced any “real boxer”; hence, he has decided to fight Mike Tyson, who is often considered the “Baddest Man on the Planet.” Mike still holds the title of the youngest Undisputed Heavyweight Champion.
The hard-core boxing fans and the followers of Jake Paul are highly interested in this fight, and Netflix is trying to capitalize on this opportunity. Originally, this fight was scheduled for July 20 in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; however, it has been postponed because, on May 26, Mike had a scare on a flight and was advised not to rerun training for a few weeks. For this reason, this grand fight is now scheduled for November 15 at the same location.
Netflix has attained the rights deal to telecast the WWE Raw television show in the US, and it now aims to get the right to telecast popular boxing contests as well. Telecasting the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul match can be a way to grab the attention of combat sports fans.
Should this fight even be happening?
By the time of the match, Mike Tyson will be 58, so most of the core boxing fans are not happy with this matchup. This is clearly a cash grab, where all the involved parties are expected to make lots of money. Every casual fan believes that Mike will easily win this match because of his ruthless in-ring performance and years of experience.
However, the experts have highlighted the fact that Jake Paul is big, strong, and only 27 years old. So, he clearly has an edge in this match. This is the reason Jake vs Mike is being considered as entertainment, not as a real sports competition. Ex-boxers are not viewing this match in a positive light because, according to them, boxing is becoming a source of entertainment and losing traditional values.
What to expect?
In the pre-match conference, Jake Paul made the argument that he wanted to fight a real boxer, so he chose Mike Tyson. However, he could have easily chosen active boxers like Oleksandr Usyk or Terence Crawford, but he chose 57-year-old Mike Tyson; hence, this fight is considered a gimmick. Claressa Shields, the women’s boxing champion, has challenged Jake Paul to a boxing match; based on the current circumstances this might even become a reality. The traditional values of boxing have become a distant past. Now, it is all about entertainment.
