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Paul, the famous YouTube star turned boxer, claimed a victory by unanimous decision over the 58-year-old boxing legend in a high-stakes fight that pit ‘Iron Mike’ against an opponent less than half his age.
Jake Paul is driven to the ring before a heavyweight boxing match against Mike Tyson, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Jake Paul registered a historic triumph over the legendary Mike Tyson on Saturday in a top-billed bout between the two competitors of vastly different age groups at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Paul, the famous YouTube star turned boxer, claimed a victory by unanimous decision over the 58-year-old boxing legend in a high-stakes fight that pit ‘Iron Mike’ against an opponent less than half his age.
The rules were tweaked citing the age difference too as the contestants squared off in an eight round-bout, of two minutes each, featuring heavier gloves. Paul ended up triumphant at the end of the night before a show of camaraderie between the fighters.
Paul, who has an immense social media following thanks to his successful YouTube channel which has earned him fame and fortune over the years, also served as a means to him getting a contract with Disney Channel for the show Bizaardvark.
Paul maintained his followers despite the collaboration with Disney coming to a grinding halt in the year 2017 before he could turn to celebrity boxing.
Following the template set by older brother Logan Paul, who popularised celebrity boxing in recent times with his bout against YouTube star KSI in an amateur contest in 2018, Jake booked his first celebrity fight against Deji Olatunji which turned out to be a money-making mill.
Paul made his first professional boxing bout two years after the amateur fixture as he faced off against AnEsonGib in an undercard middleweight fight. The 27-year-old has continued to box at events including the headline event against Tommy Fury in 2023.
Paul’s following and influence make him a delightful prospect for fight promoters who get to mint money piggybacking off the YouTuber’s impact.
Paul’s immense appeal is a revolutionary criterion in a sport such as boxing in which emerging talents find it hard to pull an audience into the arena.
Paul added another illustrious chapter to his growing combat portfolio as he stood tall against an aged Tyson in the ring on Saturday.
The disparity in age between the contestants was so vast that the bout did not receive clearance in multiple states across the United States of America before Texas stepped in to host the multi-million-dollar event.
Tyson hadn’t been involved in a competitive fight since 2005 and came out of retirement for the bout, which was postponed by six months from the originally proposed date due to medical reasons as Tyson had to deal with stomach ulcers.