From a guilty pleasure to the spectacle of a lifetime, Friday’s boxing match between Jack Paul and Mike Tyson has been called a handful of different things by different people.
None of those people said when the 27-year-old YouTube star-turned-boxer touched gloves with the 58-year-old Hall of Famer and former undisputed heavyweight champion inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, when Netflix frog-splashed its first live boxing fight in the sports pool. Telecast
As we approach this long-awaited carnival of the unknown, where the can’t-miss women’s boxing rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano for the undisputed junior welterweight crown, let’s take a closer look at the biggest storylines surrounding the event.
1. Is Mike Tyson too old to take a punch from an active fighter?
That’s been the prevailing view since the fight was first conceptualized last fall, and in many ways, why — despite the inherent dangers of allowing 58-year-old men to take punches — at least most of the world will be watching. Now, for the record, especially if the training camp footage is any indication, Tyson looks like anything but the average citizen in a no man’s land between middle age and senior living. Even with the added effects of age and a slight homogenization of his former “baddest man on the planet” persona, Tyson still looks intimidating and menacing enough that it’s not hard to talk yourself into a chance to upset his puncher. Paul may be an 11-fight rookie boxer with no amateur career whose best boxing win came against 49-year-old former UFC star Anderson Silva. But he’s also — barring a 2023 split-decision loss to Tyson Fury’s half-brother and reality TV star Tommy Fury — the best boxer in the pound-for-pound crossover bubble he, brother Logan Paul and Tyson, himself, helped build during the pandemic. .
Paul went 10-1 against a mix of aging MMA veterans, journeyman boxers and celebrities. Tyson, meanwhile, reminded us of his unstoppable pull in 2020 when his trailer-produced exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. sold 1.6 million buys per-view. Just shy of his 52nd birthday, Tyson also turned in a physical throwback performance, boxing eight tough rounds. If that version of Tyson shows up against Paul, there’s probably not much to worry about. But tell that to anyone who saw 58-year-old Evander Holyfield, Tyson’s longtime rival, get knocked around the ring in his 2021 first-round TKO loss to MMA legend Vitor Belfort. Yes, Tyson is at an age where it’s almost criminal to allow him to box against anyone, let alone Paul. Also, Tyson can win. See the problem here?
2. There is going to be an insane amount of live viewers for this fight
Even if this fight card was offered on PPV, and even if said offer price was something as absurd as $150, an argument could be made that Tyson-Paul could be a PPV juggernaut in an era of streaming piracy where that never happens again. no Now, imagine the size of the viewing audience if Netflix offered it under the regular subscription price (and without the PPV upcharge). As of the third quarter of 2024, Netflix had 282.7 million paying subscribers worldwide. A standard Netflix monthly subscription plan (with ads) starts as low as $6.99 while the third and highest tier, called Netflix Premium, is $22.99. It doesn’t take an economics major to predict that the final number will be astronomical. From a boxing business perspective, this is an attractive gamble. The PPV undercard is filled with a number of completely legitimate offers and includes a handful of recognized champions. Increased viewership, if the main event isn’t a tragic disaster, could boost the sport’s economic future, not just in the form of more coverage on Netflix but beyond. Netflix is also in the mix to be a major player in the UFC’s next broadcast deal, which could be a shot in the arm for combat sports in general.
3. Remember how good George Foreman-Michael Moore felt? Now, imagine Tyson winning
While Paul is the betting favorite due to his 6-foot-1 size, muscular frame, younger legs and legitimate punching ability, there are many paths to victory for Tyson. The point, of course, is that the preceding sentence probably has an expiration point, perhaps in the first half. Even at 58, Tyson remains impossibly explosive and, while power is the last thing an aging fighter has, it’s clear he still carries enough upside to keep Paul honest. That’s the sales pitch for the fight in a nutshell: Tyson can do it anytime … as long as the nostalgia and adrenaline wear off and all of us, including Tyson, remember that he’s finishing at 60. But what if Tyson proves us all wrong? Or, more specifically, if he cleans Paul up early and leaves him cold? Because, the concept of “breaking the internet” doesn’t even begin to cover it. One thing a victorious Tyson can also do is take that feel-good moment that saw a 45-year-old Foreman become the oldest champion in heavyweight history in 1994 when he knocked out Michael Moore and multiply that by infinity. From a story perspective, Tyson will be an aging ex-fighter who defends the reputation of his beloved sport by getting off the couch to finish off carnival-barking Paul the loudmouth “pretender.” Talk about a movie plot come to life. But more importantly, like Foreman, it would be a shot in the arm to the idea that age is nothing but a number. Add to that the sense of redemption of Tyson, whose professional career ended in tragic collapse and disgrace in 2005, returning to exit the sport on his own terms, and it’s not hard to get caught up in the romance of such a scene.
4. Jake Paul may get his dream of a Canelo Alvarez fight after all
Look, count me as one of the huge number of hard-core and traditional boxing fans who want nothing to do with the carnival idea of matching Paul with an elite superstar like Alvarez, who is still among the best P4Ps in the game and remains one of the biggest in the sport. the star Paul’s ambition and work ethic when it comes to how quickly he transitioned from entertainment to boxing remains something to be admired — if not admired. But he’s nowhere near the sport’s elite level, which is why boxing fans and the media have audibly groaned in recent years whenever Paul tried to hype his potential. A fight against Tyson, however, has the potential to take Paul’s already huge brand and send it into the stratosphere considering how many casual and mainstream eyes will be on the fight. Now, imagine the plausible scenario of beating and finishing Paul Tyson and you have all the makings of what pro wrestling calls a massive heel turn. Paul has strategically played PPV boxing heel in the past, particularly when he marched through one aging MMA legend after another while proclaiming his boxing greatness. A knockout of Tyson could push Paul to such extremes that fans would love nothing more than to pay to play a legitimate boxing champion in revenge. Alvarez is 34 years old and still very close to the peak of his powers. He’s become more willing of late to favor low-risk PPV fights with big box office potential, conveniently sidestepping fan favorites (David Benavidez, Terence Crawford). Sadly, a future Alvarez-Paul catchweight clash isn’t entirely out of the question.
5. The Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano second audience really deserves it
Women’s boxing has undergone a renaissance in recent years thanks to the equally impressive success of two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields and 38-year-old Irish legend Taylor, who has won undisputed titles in two divisions, and 36-year-old Serrano. -year-old Puerto Rican star who has won world titles in an astounding seven different weight classes. Serrano, who is represented by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, joined Taylor in a 2022 showdown at Madison Square Garden in New York, billed as the biggest and most important fight in women’s boxing history. In front of an intoxicated sellout crowd, the fight also somehow exceeded expectations as Taylor won a split decision to defend all four lightweight titles. Friday’s rematch, which has been rescheduled or canceled multiple times in subsequent years, will take place for Taylor’s undisputed 140-pound title and in many ways will represent the cherry on top of their respective, future Hall-of-Fame careers. This important fight deserves a huge audience like the one Taylor-Serrano got at MSG in 2022. So, what about AT&T Stadium in front of millions on Netflix? Talk about the right fight, at the right venue, at the right time.
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