What is going on with that Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight? Days after the must-see event on Netflix, fans are still reeling from the match-up between the boxing legend and the TikTok star. After the latter won in front of millions of viewers tuning in at home, hundreds of users are taking to social media to break down their thoughts on what has shaped up to be one of the most controversial sporting events of the year.
The results of the fight left many internet users of all races confused, mad, annoyed and even sad, with even sports stars such as Magic Johnson calling it, “Just sad.” He wrote on X, “I cut it off because I couldn’t watch anymore. It’s sad to see Mike Tyson like this because I went to every Tyson fight. This fight tonight was not great for boxing.”
Other watchers on the internet, however are not just upset, but are skeptical or straight up convinced it was all a ruse.
One TikTok user called the fight fake before the matchup even happened, in a post that has taken off in the days since it aired. The user called it a win-win for both titles, saying that if Paul won it would add more to his portfolio and that if Tyson lost he would still be considered one of the greatest and he would get a huge payout if he lost that would be just as comparable to Paul’s winning number.
Other users went as far as to say that Tyson earned an Academy Award for his performance in the fight, with one account saying, “If someone hands you 20 million dollars do not whip their ass.”
Users are so skeptical of the validity of the fight, that they are turning posts that break down the fight in slow motion — viral. These posts are highlighting moments when Tyson could have clearly ended the fight with knockouts but chose to “run around” Paul.
Another reel very clearly breaks down how much the two reportedly made after the fight (Paul around $40 million and Tyson $20 million), again, seeing the fight as a rigged win-win situation for both of them.
Not only are fans frustrated with the fight, they’re also a little annoyed with Netflix in general, the streaming giant that threw on the event in the first place. Netflix experienced some major blackouts during event, which reportedly reached over 60 million viewers on Friday night. As the New York Times reported, the term #NetflixCrash was trending on X (formerly known as Twitter) for most of the night, with the app failing to load from when the fight began to about 2 A.M.
After the fight, Paul said in the press conference that he wanted to “give the fans a show” but also didn’t want to “hurt” Tyson. “I could just tell his age was showing a little bit and I have so much respect for him,” he added,” saying that he wanted to be “aggressive” and “take him down” but that “went away” as the rounds continued.