Mike Tyson and Jake Paul Face Off

Analysts believe that tonight’s boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul could draw massive viewership for Netflix, with some claiming it could be the biggest boxing match ever.

Tonight, live at 8 pm EST, Iron Mike Tyson will battle social media sensation Jake Paul in a Netflix boxing match that has the entire sports world talking. Tyson, 58, will step back between the ropes to battle the 27-year-old Paul, in a bout that will feature the single largest age gap in the history of boxing.

But how much does age matter when you’re Mike Freaking Tyson?

Apparently, that’s a question many want answered. The live bout will air before Netflix’s 280 million subscribers at no additional cost, making it one of the most accessible Tyson fights in history.

“We believe the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight could be the most watched boxing match ever given ease of access and NFLX’s (Netflix’s) large global subscriber base,” JP Morgan Chase analyst Doug Anmuth said. “And it should attract Ad Tier subs, viewers, and dollars. Netflix is increasingly focused on sports entertainment, events, and shoulder content, and we expect a bigger push into live sports over time, particularly as negotiating leverage shifts in NFLX’s direction.”
Mike Tyson knocking out Tyrell Briggs

Heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson leans on the ropes after knocking down challenger Tyrell Biggs in the seventh round of their championship bout at Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on October 16, 1987. The referee is Tony Orlando and Sugar Ray Leonard (in red bow tie) is visible in the background.
Photo Credit: Bill Cramer/Wonderful Machine
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Many believe this claim far-fetched, as four of Muhammad Ali’s bouts reportedly drew global audiences of over one billion viewers. However, the possible Mike Tyson Jake Paul viewership certainly has the potential to clinch the title of most watched boxing match of the modern era.

The largest boxing audience of the modern era was 4.6 million people who tuned in for the Floyd Mayweather Manny Pacquiao bout in 2015. Given Netflix’s sizable subscriber base, exceeding that number seems well within the realm of possibility.
Jake Paul

YouTube personality and boxer Jake Paul –
Photo Credit: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Iron Mike, once the king of big fight pay-per-view, had a legendary career from 1985 to 2005, winning the undisputed world heavyweight championship in 1987 and holding it until 1990.

With a career record of 50 wins, six losses, and  44 knock outs, Tyson is hailed as one of the greatest of all time.

Standing across the ring from him is upstart social media megastar Jake Paul. With a record of 10 wins and one loss, Paul has been making a name for himself in the boxing ring.

During yesterday’s weigh-in between the two combatants, Tyson proved that he still has the killer instinct that made him a force in his hey day when he slapped Paul across the face. This came after Paul crawled up to Tyson like an animal and stepped on the former champ’s foot. Paul however seemed unphased by the strike and actually mocked The Baddest Man on The Planet in the aftermath.

“My personal opinion (is) Jake shows enough disrespect that he starts crawling up to Mike and then pouncing in front of him … like some sort of lurching animal. Mike put him in his place,’’ Tyson’s longtime friend Tom Patti told USA Today.

In an interview, 14-year-old Jazlyn “Jazzy” Guerra asked Tyson what kind of legacy he wanted to leave behind and the former champ didn’t hold back. He also seemed to forget that he was speaking to a teenager.

“I don’t believe in the word ‘legacy,’” Tyson said. “We’re nothing, we’re dead, we’re dust, we’re absolutely nothing, our legacy is nothing,” he continued, before delivering the knockout. “Can you really imagine someone saying … I want people to think about me when I’m gone? Who the **** cares about me when I’m gone?”

Who do you think will win the fight between Tyson and Jake Paul? Will the Mike Tyson Jake Paul viewership make up the most watched boxing match of the modern era? Sound off and let us know!