It sounds ridiculous to ask what Mike Tyson was looking for in Jake Paul’s match. Of course he was looking for money and he got close to $20 million at 58.
If anybody thinks this isn’t a good deal for a retired undisputed heavyweight champion, then give me a better deal for an exhibition fight.
Defeats and wins are common variables in the game of boxing. The defeat also comes with money in dollars and for the eight rounds in Dallas, Texas on Friday evening, Tyson danced round the Youtuber, Jake Paul, to earn some good money.
The exhibition fight and consequent loss did not reduce Tyson but only showcased his energy, fitness and capacity to compete at that level. How many boxers at 58 can fight eight rounds?
Tyson did it with a lot of sense and beside stepping into the ring to do it for the boxing world, the match had given him so many endorsements.
Wearing Versace pants at the weigh in day before the fight did not come with nothing and advertising his numerous tops ahead of the match came with some dollars into his pocket.
It was clear that age was a factor on Friday but then Tyson took it easy by not throwing so many punches that could make him gas out easily.
He caught Paul on a few occasions but was not ready for a pound-for-pound exchange, which could cause him a serious damage.
Paul beat Tyson by unanimous decision at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, in front of 70,000 spectators and billions who watched online, including live streaming by Netflix.
The eight-round fight was scored 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73 in in favour of Paul but the Youtuber still went on to give credit to Tyson for his resilience both in and out of the ring.
What happened on Friday was a dance between an old natural killer and a young manufactured killer. They gave us a good dance and we all enjoyed it.
