BBN writer, Anish Parekh, shared his thoughts in the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight, which took place on Friday, November 15, at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Paul defeated Tyson on points in an eight two-minute rounds heavyweight contest, live on Netflix. In two of the rounds – four and six – Tyson failed to land a single punch, as the fitter man who is 31 years his junior, just circled from the outside, flicking out long-reaching shots.
Anish shared his thoughts exclusively with BBN:
I didn’t have to watch it to know it was awful.
The apologists for Jake Paul have always maintained that he is good for the sport and will bring a newer and younger fan base towards it.
With that being said, I hope this new generation of fans have thoroughly learned their lesson about the scrupulous marketing tactics frequently deployed by boxing promoters and expertly utilised in the build up to this cynical cash-grab.
I didn’t watch the Tyson-Paul fight. I value my sleep far too much, and besides, I have my own 10 month old problem child who could possibly disturb my slumber at 5am, anyway.
However, as I scrolled through my X account throughout the week I was astonished by the number of fans giving credence to this clash. The vignettes of a sweating, brooding Tyson were excellently packaged to evoke memories of the menace that mauled through a generation of heavyweights in the 80s and provided the hype required to build hope in the hearts of fans that Iron Mike was back.
But the facts are the facts. No matter how we much we long for our heroes to prosper with one last great performance, expecting a 58 year old Tyson to turn back the clock by 35 years is ludicrous.
Whilst the occasional miracle can happen with the likes of George Foreman and Bernard Hopkins winning titles at ages that were closer to retirement than they were to graduation, the moments are few and far between.
Tyson isn’t Foreman or Hopkins. He was a prodigious talent who burned brightly and faded quickly after his defeat to James ‘Buster’ Douglas in 1990, with his career fizzling out years later in 2005 against Kevin McBride who would have been beaten by Tyson’s sinister stare had he faced the Kid Dynamite of 1988. A combination of ill discipline, hard partying, personal problems, and a stretch of inactivity whilst in prison eroded his desire and ultimately dissipated his skills.
But as the old adage goes, it’s the hope that kills you, and as a fan the acceptance of an abomination, even when it is the likeliest event, can be tough, particularly when that quiet voice in your head foolishly says, “what if he lands the big one?” I’ve had similar moments of insanity with the hope of a “holy shit” moment giving me enough reason to anticipate it – even believe it. Then that voice amplifies and feels justified when it’s repeated on X and echoed on one of the million clickbait YouTube videos by the dozens of boxing fan channels.
The truth is when Jake Paul-Mike Tyson was originally announced my immediate instinct was that this was a joke. An old, years past his best Tyson fighting in a sanctioned bout somehow agreed for 8 2-minute rounds against an obnoxious yet popular YouTube creator can never be billed as anything more than an expensive circus with the clowns keeping a straight face for as long as they can before delivering a punchline at the expense of the fans and laughing hysterically as they wheel away with a cart load of cash.
Boxing is a great sport. When fought between two warriors similar in skill level, the intrigue and anticipation is justified and usually delivers the type of drama that the palpable pre-fight hype promises.
But for the new and young fans who feel sucked in and sucker-punched let this be a warning that whilst boxing in its essence is a great and noble sport, the business of boxing is always on the lookout for gullible punters willing to buy into a circus show masquerading as a boxing extravaganza.
So, next time you hear the muffled sounds of a boxing circus approaching your town in the distance, save yourself the disappointment, don’t buy a ticket, stay at home, and wait until they move on.
