Boxing legend Mike Tyson’s return to the ring for the first time since 2005 ended with a unanimous decision defeat to Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Friday night.
While the veteran 58-year-old Tyson lasted all of eight rounds comprising two minutes each, the 27-year-old Paul had managed to wear down the former undisputed heavyweight champion with more decisive strikes as the bout progressed. The fight wasn’t close on the judge’s cards, with one giving Paul an 80-72 edge and the other two calling it 79-73.
All the hate from the pre-fight buildup was gone, with Paul even paying homage with a bow to Tyson before the final bell sounded at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Both fighters shared a friendly embrace at the end of the fight, with Paul hailing his revered opponent as the “greatest ever to do it.”
Tyson came after Paul immediately after the opening bell and landed a couple of quick punches but didn’t try much else the rest of the way. Even fewer rounds and shorter rounds couldn’t do much to generate action for a 58-year-old in his first sanctioned pro fight in almost 20 years, facing a boxing neophyte with hopes of fighting for championships somewhere in the future.
Assessing Paul’s skills after the bout, Tyson remarked: “he is a very good fighter. He absolutely deserves the respect.”
Though he was featuring in his first sanctioned bout since 2005, Tyson remained non-committal on another return to the ring with the gloves.
The 31-year age gap between Tyson and his latest opponent Paul was the largest in professional boxing history, surpassing the 24-year gap between Archie Moore (49) and Mike DiBiase (25) during a 1963 contest.