I don't generally use the word, "Hate," much as it can be overutilized and lose its impact. I save it to truly express how I loathe and despise something. That said, I loathe the Paul brothers (Jake and Logan). They are annoying so-called, "Influencers," on social media. They post idiotic videos, come up with stupid catchphrases, and otherwise annoy other people in the name of entertainment. Jake Paul has become a boxer these past years and got it in his mind he wanted to fight Mike Tyson. Now, Jake is 27 and in prime physical shape. Mike Tyson is 58 and has had a number of health issues over the years even if he tries to keep a solid physique. The two fighting makes little sense, but the internet wanted it, so it happened last night.
60 million or so people logged into Netflix around the World to witness some fights before Tyson and Paul and then the main event finally occurred after midnight Eastern time. Even though Netflix worked to have a lot of bandwidth, the main takeaway from the event is they really should've spent even more money on their internet infrastructure. As the live show went on the buffering, glitches, and outright crashing of Netflix was the main topic on Twitter about the fight as opposed to any actual fighting. That said, Tyson is a complicated man with a messy history of his own, but many people seemed to hope he could get some good licks in on Paul because--like myself--a lot of people just don't like Jake or his brother.
I never watch boxing events. Back in the old days, they cost money on Pay-Per-View and I would've spent that money on plenty of other items. That said, this was free if you had Netflix and could get through the buffering. That resulted in myself and millions of other people shrugging and figuring they would tune and watch some random fights before the main event. I wasn't bored, especially in the last big fight before Tyson and Paul where Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano showcased some real speed, skill, and the blood flowed in a shocking manner. I was ready for bed when the reason we all were watching finally started, but I had already committed so I stayed awake.
Paul and his brother had an absurdly over-the-top entrance as they rode into the arena with a fancy car that had its sunroof down and, "In the Air Tonight," blasted through the stadium. When it was Mike Tyson's turn to appear, he just walked into the arena with his black trunks on and a look that was half-rage and half-resignation that this was probably the last big fight of his career (one he maybe didn't even want, but money talks). I knew Tyson was bound to lose this fight, but I wanted him to at least show a bit of the, "Iron Mike," everyone has talked about for decades. Then the bell started ringing for the first round.
Mike came out hard. For a split-second, you could've thought he might win this thing. The problem, however, is that while Mike Tyson at age 58 could easily take down a regular bloke off the street with a few choice punches, this was eight rounds of Tyson against someone who is 27 and one has to admit (even if they hate him) has developed a legitimate boxing career. Tyson got in some solid punches, but at the end of the day, he's literally an older generation fighting in vain against the new guard. Still, it went all eight rounds and now Paul gets to brag he officially won against Tyson (never mind it was a Tyson past his prime) and Mike can hold his head high that he lasted against a younger fighter in peak physical condition. The whole thing was more of a soap opera than a real fight in the end (Tyson and Paul, I mean, the other fights were legit brawls to varying degrees), but so many of us watched when we weren't stuck staring at a red circle spinning around to indicate the latest technical snafu. The fight itself was weak, as many concur, but the drama of it all was fun.
Still, is this a stain on the record of Tyson, doing such a blatant cash-grab? He honestly does not care, telling a 14-year-old reporter who asked him about his own legacy, "[It] means absolutely nothing to me. I’m just passing through. I’mma die, and it’s going to be over. Who cares about legacy after that? I’mma die, I want people to think, 'I was this, I’m great…'No, we’re nothing. We’re just dead. We’re dust. We’re absolutely nothing. Our legacy is nothing." Tyson basically told us nothing matters in the end, and I suppose if you went into this match with the same viewpoint then the sheer anticlimax of when they were actually fighting is a bit less disappointing. Even if you're less nihilistic than Tyson, however, it still is apparent main winner in the end was Most Valuable Promotions, who organized and profited immensely off the fight. Guess who is a co-founder of MVP? Yep, Jake Paul, so of course he laughs all the way to the bank in the end. Beating up an old man and getting rich(er) doing it, that's the true American dream.
