Jake Paul admitted after his victory over Mike Tyson on Friday night that he held back during his fight against the boxing legend because he didn’t want to “hurt” him.
Tyson, 58, gave boxing fans every hope that he might still have some gas left in the tank during the first two rounds of the eight-round bout, but that hope quickly faded by the third as Tyson began to slow down.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul exchange punches during their heavyweight world titles of the Premiere Boxing Championship on Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on November 15, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
When asked if he took his “foot off the gas” at that point, Paul confirmed that he did.
“Yeah, definitely. Definitely a bit. I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.”
When asked whether any of the punches Tyson threw had an impact, Paul simply replied, “No.”
“I tried to give the best fight I possibly could, but when someone’s just surviving in the ring basically, it’s hard to make it exciting. I couldn’t really get him to engage me.”
Jake Paul, left, fights Mike Tyson during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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During his post fight interview, Tyson said returning for his first professional bout in nearly two decades wasn’t an attempt to prove anything to anyone. It was for him alone.
“I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself,” Tyson said. “I’m not one of those guys that looks to please the world. I’m just happy with what I can do.”
Mike Tyson lands a left to Jake Paul during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Tyson’s age – 31 years older than his opponent – was a topic of debate leading up to the fight and remains a point of contention following Friday’s outcome. But for Paul, a win is a win.
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