Andreas Hale, ESPN
ARLINGTON, Texas — Mike Tyson’s highly anticipated return to the boxing ring saw “The Baddest Man on the Planet” fall short to YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul.
Although Tyson was a massive fan favorite, the fight proved that Father Time remains undefeated. Tyson struggled to mount any significant offense as Paul peppered him with jabs throughout the eight 2-minute rounds and scored a unanimous decision victory Friday night at AT&T Stadium.
At Thursday’s weigh-in, Tyson slapped Paul in the face after Paul stepped on his foot during the final stare-down. That proved to be the biggest strike that Tyson landed. The judges scored the fight 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73 for Paul.
Tyson, 58, returned to the ring for his first fight as a professional since he lost to Kevin McBride on June 11, 2005. Tyson had recently faced Roy Jones Jr. in a 2020 exhibition in which he impressed with his performance, setting the stage for a fight with Paul.
But Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs, 2 NCs) lacked his signature explosiveness and wore a knee brace that compromised his mobility.
Paul, 27, was originally slated to face Tyson on July 20, but the fight was postponed after the former heavyweight champion was sidelined after suffering an ulcer flare-up on a flight. Rather than wait, Paul took a fight with former UFC fighter and current BKFC competitor Mike Perry and scored a sixth-round TKO.
Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) didn’t knock out Tyson, who is 31 years his elder. Instead, Paul used lateral movement and routinely popped Tyson with the jab. Neither fighter was in much danger, but Paul remained in control throughout and pulled out the win.