In the end, it was sad, it was unedifying, it was even, frankly, boring. But it wasn’t quite the humiliation it threatened to be, as 58-year-old Mike Tyson was still on his feet at the end of eight two-minute rounds against 27-year-old Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday night.
But, predictably, Tyson lost, defeated not just by the younger Paul but the perennially undefeated Father Time, the once-dynamic former heavyweight champion of the world just a shell of the man he once was, like an empty chrysalis after the life inside has flown far away.
On the flip side, Tyson at 58 whipped himself into solid shape and even took a round on two of the judges’ scorecards. In that sense, it was something of a triumph, even if far from what many fans had hoped for, misled by hazy memories of a rampaging monster and forgetting that those memories were formed almost four decades ago.
The packed crowd booed as Paul made his ring entrance, in a car, with a caged pigeon in back and Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” playing – nods to Tyson’s lifelong fascination and his scene in “The Hangover.” It roared when Tyson made his appearance, but the brace on his right knee and the stiff gait were clear signs of how the evening was likely to unfold.
To his credit, Tyson came out on the front foot in the opening round, stalking a wary Paul and landing a jab and a glancing right hand before bulling Paul, 11-1 (7 KOs), to the ropes. Paul tied him up and, when he had room, let fly with a right hand of his own that just missed. He stabbed Tyson with a jab and clipped him with another jab.
And with that, Tyson, 50-7 (44 KOs), had pretty much already used up his bag of tricks. He showed some of the old moves, but the dipping to left and right that was once a portent of a menacing offense now seemed more like the last twitching vestiges of a fading muscle memory. He made an effort to jab his way inside in the second, but Paul slid out of the way before just missing with another big right hand. Tyson long ago forgot how to jab his way into close range, and he clearly hadn’t relearned it during his ring absence.
Paul landed a hook in the third, and another, and each time he landed cleanly and forcefully, the old man’s old legs stiffened just a little and Tyson became just that bit more stationary. It already felt as if Paul had it in him to end the contest whenever he wanted; that Tyson lasted the distance was, one suspects, partly because Paul in fact was perfectly happy for him to.
Paul did start stepping into his punches more in the fifth, landing a solid left hook, although he took one in return for his trouble. By the sixth, Paul was pot-shotting, moving around effortlessly and firing jabs and straight right hands as Tyson stood and watched, like a Venus flytrap, hoping that if he could just stay still enough for long enough that his prey would magically fall into his grasp.
Tyson came out firing again at the start of the seventh, bouncing a hook off Paul’s guard, but soon Paul settled back into a rhythm, landing a three-punch combination that rattled off Tyson’s head. The crowd’s disappointment was palpable, the air escaping from the balloon as the earlier cheers were replaced by scattered boos.
The eighth and final round was more of the same until, with seconds remaining, Paul abandoned all pretense and, showing his respect, bowed several times to a man he clearly likes and looks up to.
The decision was a formality, Paul winning 80-72 on one card and 79-73 on the others.
“I’m absolutely happy,” said Tyson. “I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, just to myself.” He called Paul a “good fighter” and said he “absolutely” deserved to be treated with respect.
“First and foremost, Mike Tyson, it’s such an honor,” said Paul. “I was inspired by him, I wouldn’t be here without him. He’s an icon. It was really tough, like I expected it to be. He’s exactly what I thought, one of the greatest to ever do it. This guy’s always had my back. It’s just an honor to be in the ring. I tried to hurt him a little bit, but I was afraid he was going to hurt me.”
Kieran Mulvaney has written, broadcast and podcasted about boxing for HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Reuters, among other outlets. He also writes regularly for National Geographic, has written several books on the Arctic and Antarctic, and is at his happiest hanging out with wild polar bears. His website is www.kieranmulvaney.com.
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