Fans were left stunned by the official punch stats following Jake Paul’s unanimous decision points victory over Mike Tyson.
Tyson, 58, took on Paul, 27, in what was ‘Iron Mike’s’ first professional boxing match since losing against Kevin McBride in 2005.
Over 70,000 fans watched in anticipated at the Dallas Cowboy’s stadium in Arlington, Texas, with millions tuning in around the world via Netflix.
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Despite being in top condition for the bout, Tyson’s age showed as Paul danced around the ring, hitting the 58-year-old at will.
The victory advanced Paul’s professional boxing record to 11 wins and one loss, while the defeat was Tyson’s seventh of his career - taking his pro record to 50-2-7.
The build-up, in typical Tyson fashion, was ferocious, with the former heavyweight world champion even slapping Paul in the face during Thursday’s weigh-in.
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However, there were not many complaints as the judges returned scorecards of 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73, handing Paul the victory.
Paul even appeared to show mercy at times when he was seemingly in the ascendancy before slowly taking his foot off the gas, allowing Tyson to recover.
When speaking at the post-fight press conference, Paul admitted that he did try to entertain the fans but never wanted to really hurt 'Iron Mike'.
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“Yeah, definitely, definitely [wanted to hurt Tyson] a bit,” he explained.
“I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want [to hurt him].”
After the fight, punch statistics were shown on the Netflix broadcast, which confirmed that Paul landed 78 punches on Tyson from 278 thrown (28 percent), while Tyson could only manage 18 successful punches, throwing 97 (18 percent).
Given their respective ages, this was hardly a surprise, and fans were quick to give their take on social media.
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One wrote: “It's for a reason world-class athletes retire young. [The] Body can't handle the punishment anymore. I never liked Paul, but how he showed respect to Tyson gets him my respect."
A second added: “6-2 Paul. Hell of an effort for Tyson, really gave it his all. Paul beat up a 58-year-old man… good job, I guess?"
With a third saying: “He had to hold back. Just imagine how much hate he would have gotten if he knocked out a 58-year-old Tyson. It was a glorified spar.”
Topics: Jake Paul, Mike Tyson, Boxing
Luke Alfred Davies