By: Sean Crose
After almost 20 years removed from the ring, the one and only Mike Tyson slipped between the ropes at AT&T Stadium Friday night to fight social media star turned hard hitting combatant Jake Paul. At 58 years of age, Tyson was the underdog. The 27 year old Paul, however, had never faced the likes of Tyson before, not even an aging Tyson. The bout was scheduled for eight two minute rounds.
The first saw Tyson land a few times while Paul worked to maintain distance. Paul took to tying up his legendary opponent when Tyson moved forward. Paul cruised through the second, avoiding Tyson and landing effectively. By the third, Tyson looked wiped out while Paul engaged in target proactive with his legendary foe. By the fourth it was clear Tyson was finished. He simply couldn’t move or hit effectively.
Aside from a few shots, Tyson didn’t offer much in the fifth. Paul, however, was getting cocky in leaving his hands down. Also, Tyson was proving that he was able to still take a shot well. With that being said, Paul went on to dominate the sixth. Tyson went out hard from his corner in the seventh, but it was Paul who ended up landing solid shots repeatedly throughout the round.
The eighth and final round was hopefully the final round of Tyson’s too long career. Paul even stopped fighting in the final seconds of the bout as a sign of resect to the former great. When Paul got the unanimous nod of the judges, it likely came as a surprise to no one.
With that being said, this will not have been the fight Tyson will be remembered for. The man simply had too many classic performances for that to be the case. “Mike Tyson, it’s just an honor,” said Paul afterward “This man is an icon and it’s just an honor to be able to fight him.” As for Tyson, still showed he had a sense of humor. When asked why he had been biting his glove all fight, he responded promptly.
“I have a biting fixation,” he said.