Jake Paul's Mike Tyson Fight Shocks Teddy Atlas: "Never Saw It Coming"

Ronald Crawley Nov. 20, 2024, 8:10 a.m.

Paul, the 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer, won by a wide unanimous decision over the 58-year-old heavyweight legend in an eight-round bout. Netflix reported that 60 million households worldwide tuned in to watch the event, showing just how much interest there was in this unusual matchup.

Teddy Atlas, who coached Tyson in his early days and is now a well-known boxing analyst, shared his thoughts on the fight. He said Paul fought smart, staying away from Tyson's power and making the older fighter chase him around the ring.

"Paul fought the kind of strategy I would have him fight. On the outside, stay away from the puncher, make the old man use his legs. When people are old their legs go, he couldn't close the gaps. Stay away from the power, pick your spots, keep him off balance. Same way you would when he was young. Except he wasn't young anymore, because the young Tyson would've cut the ring down."

Atlas also brought up an interesting point about the end of the fight. He wondered if Paul could have finished Tyson off but chose not to for some reason. Maybe there was an agreement between the fighters, or perhaps Paul respected Tyson too much to go for the knockout. It's also possible that Paul was just being careful not to make a mistake.

The fight showed that even a boxing legend like Tyson can't stop getting older. He looked out of place in the ring, a far cry from the fearsome fighter he once was. As for Paul, it's hard to say if we learned anything new about his boxing skills. Tyson's age and condition made it tough to judge Paul's performance fairly.

Since the fight, other boxers have been calling Paul out. Even Artur Beterbiev, the undisputed light-heavyweight world champion, has shown interest in fighting the YouTube star.

This match might not have been the most exciting, but it sure got people talking. It seems like Jake Paul's journey in the boxing world is far from over.

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