Various entities and individuals have just orchestrated the highest-rated heist of the past decade or so, none more so than Mike Tyson and Jake Paul who were pitted against one another in what was supposed to be an exhibition but was eventually ruled a professional contest that would go on to stain both fighters’ records. Following their November 15 bout, it is now time to observe how and why both fighters as well as Netflix and Texas’ boxing commission have dealt a blow boxing will be struggling to overcome.
The non-title bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul―set over the course of 8 rounds and 2 minutes―predictably became an affront to both fighters’ careers and reputation as the two would fight out the total of 8 rounds in a lackluster performance from bout. With Tyson clearly showing himself to be too old to compete in any professional match, Paul shared his own part of the travesty by similarly appearing to hold back and refusing to put in his best effort. As a result, the fight has been widely derided in public for the complete lack of any excitement or sense of competitiveness that resulted in it being regarded as the worst representation of a fight for the sport of boxing.
Front and center at the debacle that occurred on November 15 is Texas’ boxing commission, the Texas Combative Sports Program (TCSP). which is a part of the Texas government-ruled Texas Department of Licensing and Registration (TDLR). Acknowledged by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) as a boxing commission, the TCSP has question marks surrounding ethics with fighters such as British heavyweight (200+ lbs) Dillian Whyte (30-3, 23 KO’s) having potentially bypassed a drug offense through the commission.
Conor Benn is another example of TCSP’s doubtful position as a boxing commission, becoming the organization Benn would be licensed with after the British fighter lost his license with the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) after falling out due to his positive drug test for Clomiphene.
There therefore was little surprise when the TCSP approved of the Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul bout to be staged as a professional contest when their bout had first been scheduled for July of this year. These pro boxing rules remained even as their fight was moved to November 15 after Tyson suffered from medical issues related to an ulcer flare-up.
Questions continue to surround the TCSP’s exact reasoning for allowing a 27-year old Jake Paul to fight a 58-year old Mike Tyson, but the issue is part of a larger problem involving the entire boxing industry as there are no clear rules barring fighters from a certain age from competing in professional contests. However, as such fights are mostly down to the commission, the TCSP bears the brunt of responsibility as it pertains to approving the fight.
However, despite the commission’s own culpability in this case, promotional outfit Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), co-owned by Jake Paul himself, bears just as much blame. The incessant push to see Paul in the ring with a senior-aged Tyson and all the promotional efforts surrounding this event puts MVP on the top of the list when it comes to flawed matchmaking and misrepresentation given Tyson was clearly not in any shape to fight anyone twenty years his junior.
Simply put, the MVP engaged in what was a clear cash grab; exploiting Tyson’s past reputation as a heavyweight while using Paul’s popularity to casual viewers to mislead the public. Mike Tyson and Jake Paul themselves had a hand in this deception by blatantly painting Tyson as a capable opponent. Given Paul’s status as a co-founder of MVP, this also reflects to his own predatory marketing tactics which were used to ignore the disparity in age and skill between him and Tyson.
Through MVP’s network deal with Netflix, which saw the two companies agree for the November 15 card to be streamed to Netflix subscribers without needing to pay additional fees such as for pay-per-views (PPV), the 70.000 capacity AT&T Stadium proved to be the perfect stage for all involved parties to stage one of the most egregious virtual robberies of the 21st century.
Both Mike Tyson and Jake Paul were guaranteed a substantial amount of money for the fight with the former earning half [$20 million] of Paul’s total guaranteed payout of $40 million; earnings attributed to the popularity of both fighters and the intrigue of whether Tyson could perform well enough to cause an upset.
With both fighters aware of the amount they would make and Paul’s promotion of MVP fully in charge of organizing the event, the match that resulted between the two has undergone much speculation of being fixed―a matter not helped by the emergence of an unconfirmed script that dictated what would happen during the fight. As of November 18, there is no indication the script was real, but the news surrounding the possibility of the fight having been scripted further casts a shadow of doubt over the contest.
In regards to the legacy of both fighters, that has forever been tarnished as predicted with Paul’s wish to stage a money-spinning fight with a 58-year old Tyson bound to hang over him for the rest of his career while Tyson’s own reputation as one of the most feared heavyweights of all time has been shattered after suffering his seventh professional loss.
While neither of the two will entertain the notion of their careers having been affected as such, the fact the fight counts on their professional records is a clear indicator that the boxing industry has been dealt a heavy blow. The inability by any relevant organization to stop the fight from happening is a failure from the boxing industry as a whole and perfectly reflects the corruption that continues to stain the sport.
The fact the bout had to be considered a professional bout further gives the impression of boxing’s lack of standards with gimmicky fights such as the Tyson-Paul bout appearing to take precedent over competitiveness. This was also reflected through Francis Ngannou’s own participation in professional boxing in 2023 and earlier this year, vividly demonstrating boxing is more of a profit-based sports purely centered around entertainment rather than a legitimate sport that cultivates sportsmanship, respect and competitiveness.
In contrast, the Katie Taylor versus Amanda Serrano bout featured in the co-main event of the card was a better representation of an actual professional boxing match but was overshadowed by the headlining Tyson-Paul bout which―due to having been approved as a professional bout and placed in the main event―continues to be regarded as a travesty to the sport, especially through social media where opinions are easily divulged.
The only bright spot is that the wide discrepancy in age and ability between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul makes it impossible for the match to be construed as anywhere close to a super-competitive clash between two top fighters, and with the near future as well as the recent past filled with relevant fights, there are plenty of examples of what constitutes as a top professional bout.
However, the fact both Tyson and Paul managed to grab the attention of a plethora of casual viewers is an alarming development that needs to be addressed. Riyadh Season-sponsored shows are known to be highly-competitive but have not managed to create as much of a buzz as the Tyson-Paul match, suggesting the sport needs to swiftly undergo necessary structural changes to both limit spectacle fights as seen on November 15 and better promote actual top-flight matches that can grab the attention of both casual and boxing fans.
