Arguably the biggest boxing event of the year came and went on Friday night, and it was kind of a letdown for a lot of fans. First, there were the technical issues that many Netflix users had to endure throughout fight night. Then came the main event, where everyone’s concerns came true: Mike Tyson showed his old age against the much-younger Jake Paul.
To his credit, Tyson ended up finishing the fight, getting through all eight rounds. He simply couldn’t get close enough to the more athletic Paul, and wasn’t as active as we’ve grown accustomed to in terms of punch volume. It was a sobering reality for Tyson’s diehard fans, but one that probably should’ve been seen coming. Paul did what he had to do, but he got booed all night, and it’s tough to imagine how loud those boos would have been if he knocked Tyson out. Could that have happened? Paul believes so.
Jake Paul says he took it easy on Mike Tyson
In the post-fight press conference, Paul was asked if he took his foot off the gas once it was clear that Tyson was tiring out. The 27-year-old made it clear he could have gone way harder on his 58-year-old opponent.
“Yeah, definitely. Definitely a bit. You know, I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.”
On the follow-up question, the reporter prompted Paul on whether Tyson’s punches were as powerful as the legends say. Paul says they weren’t.
“No… It didn’t actually hurt. I mean, No one’s punches have really hurt. I got buzzed a little bit against Tommy Fury, but that’s about it.”
That’s not really overly surprising given Tyson’s age, but Roy Jones Jr. mentioned during fight week that Tyson was the hardest puncher he’s ever faced. Tyson was 54 at the time of his fight with Jones.
Tyson definitely seems to have lost a lot of speed and power over those past four years. Despite that, he said in the post-fight interview that he’s willing to step back in the ring at some point in the near future.
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