by Maya Dorsam ‘27

The long-awaited boxing match between influencer turned boxer, Jake Paul, and legend, Mike Tyson, was aired and watched by 65 million people through Netflix on November 15. The bout promised to be a chance for new generations to see Tyson, one of the greatest (and controversial) heavyweights of all time, in action.

Paul, 27, challenged Tyson, 58, claiming he could beat the superstar and went even further to promise a KO to gain the respect in the boxing world that he believes has been withheld. But many ask the question, was there ever any real winning for Paul? A win against Tyson wouldn’t make him a hero and nobody questioned that Tyson was the real legend that easily would have taken out Paul in his prime, and a loss would be the nice slice of humble pie that many believed Paul deserved.

As millions of viewers piled onto Netflix, the streaming service experienced many technical problems as it was overloaded with the interest of every generation. Paul was received by the boos of approximately 72,000 onlookers in AT&T Stadium, while Tyson was met with cheers of excitement and respect as he approached the ring.

In rounds one and two, Tyson looked strong, as Paul seemed tentative and on edge. The two danced around each other trading a few blows, but Tyson appeared to have won the rounds as he encroached upon Paul’s space and appeared more offensive.

Rounds three through eight had viewers on the edges of their seats just waiting for Tyson to land a heavy blow, but few came with a difference in reach between Paul and Tyson of a whopping five inches. Tyson moved quickly for his age, but slow compared to Paul and he just couldn’t kick the tiredness in between rounds. Up until the last minute of round 8, millions were looking for a miracle KO delivered to Paul, but it never came and many believed that maybe even Paul was restraining from delivering Tyson a KO as it would only receive backlash. By unanimous decision, Paul won, the scorecards reading, 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.

This was the last straw for everyone watching after the controversial fight that took place just moments before, arguably even more frustrating than Paul and Tyson’s. Katie Taylor versus Amanda Serrano, the co-main event, turned out to provide the most action of the night just as their history promised. Both highly decorated, they had a lot to prove, and Taylor most importantly, a light-welterweight champion title to defend. Two years previously they faced off for the first time when Taylor bested Serrano in a debatable split decision win that each had claimed to have rightfully won. The women’s fight was undoubtedly more fast-paced and gruesome in comparison to the rest of the night, as they showcased boxing at its highest level.

Serrano came out swinging big and stalked Taylor into dangerous positions where she was forced to defend herself and began holding. The referee could be heard giving Taylor warnings while pushing the two apart.

In round four, a nasty headbutt was delivered to Serrano which she said after the fight, was 100 percent intentional. The cut left in its aftermath, just above her eye, impaired her vision significantly as it bled and eventually opened even further to the point where a medic had to clear her to continue the fight. She fought with the same intensity and eventually, after Taylor continued to headbutt Serrano, a point was deducted by the referee.

The fight was close, and it seemed as though each round could go in either direction, but the audience was sure that the overall victory would go to Serrano after she landed an astounding 100 additional blows to Taylor than Taylor landed on her. As the audience anxiously awaited the reading of the scorecards, the announcer delivered the news that a unanimous decision had been made. All three cards read 94-93, Taylor remaining champion. Boos roared throughout the stadium while everyone at home sat in shock. Millions claim Serrano was robbed of a win yet again and that the fight had been at least a draw.

What was meant to be a night of excitement and thrill, left the world baffled and dissatisfied. If the night was intended to grow the interest in the sport of boxing, it just may have done the exact opposite.