Mike Tyson’s return to the ring after almost 20 years was hyped as a legendary showdown. Instead, it turned into Jake Paul’s personal sparring session, with Tyson admitting he can’t even remember most of the eight-round show.
“I don’t remember that much of the fight, I just blew it,” Tyson said Fox Sports Radio. “I didn’t see the fight. You know what I remember? Coming back from the first round and Jake kind of bowing … that’s the last thing I remember. So, Tyson’s takeaway wasn’t the punches Jake, but his iconic dance routine.
Jake Paul, always the magnanimous sportsman, later confessed that he went easy on the 58-year-old legend. “Yes, of course. Of course a little,” said Paul. “I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone who didn’t need to be hurt.” Oh, the self-restraint of a YouTuber-turned-fighter, sparing Tyson the wrath of his TikTok-level combos.
Tyson, meanwhile, walked away from the loss with the calm of a man who had seen it all. “I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sweaty. I went home with my wife and kids, went to the after party, then came back. Translation: Jake may have won on points, but Tyson’s real victory was the buffet table at the after-party.
The fight wasn’t Tyson’s only fight. He revealed that he nearly died of an ulcer flare-up before the fight. But hey, what’s a little life-threatening condition when there’s an eight-round circus to do?
“This is one of those situations where you lose but you still win,” Tyson said. And it is not wrong, because if Jake Paul has to boast of holding back against a 58-year-old, who is really taking the L here?
