Tyson via unanimous decision in their highly anticipated professional bout on Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
Fighting in front of 72,300 fans at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Paul controlled most of the fight against Tyson, winning via unanimous decision, after all three judges ruled in his favor with scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.
With the victory, Paul improves to 11-1 in his professional career, including seven knockouts, and becomes the sixth fighter to defeat the Hall of Famer in his career.
“First and foremost Mike Tyson, it’s such an honor,” Paul told Tyson after the match. “He’s the G.O.A.T. I look up to him, I’m inspired by him, and we wouldn’t be here today without him. This man is an icon and it’s just an honor to be able to fight him.”
The opening rounds were fairly tame, as the two boxers got acclimated to each other’s fight styles.
Tyson, who hadn’t fought in a professional bout in 19 years, came out aggressively in the third round, lunging forward with hard punches and clipping Paul early. However, Paul responded several moments later, catching Tyson with several well thrown punches, appearing to rock the former heavyweight champion.
The 58-year-old started to show signs of fatigue for the first time in the match and became stationary. He never displayed the dips, slips or the explosions forward with haymakers that once earned him 44 knockouts.
Roy Jones Jr., whom Tyson last fought in an exhibition in November 2020, was on the broadcast panel and noted Tyson’s lack of movement. “I don’t like Mike’s legs. I don’t like Mike’s legs at all.”
Paul continued to take control of the fight from there, landing his combinations, and giving Tyson trouble with his jabs. Tyson showed bursts of energy throughout the later rounds but never proved to be a real threat.
The pair were originally scheduled to fight in July this year, but it was postponed when Tyson experienced an ulcer flare up on a flight.
Tyson was asked after the fight if he felt like he proved to the world that he could go the distance, despite his age.
“I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself. I’m not one of those guys that looks to please the world. I’m just happy with what I can do,” Tyson said.
In his professional career, Tyson was known for his brutal knockouts, winning in emphatic fashion against legends such as Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes. His last professional victory was in February 2003 when he defeated Clifford Etienne with a first-round knockout. His last fight was an exhibition bout against Jones Jr. in November 2020, which finished as a draw.
Friday’s bout was perhaps the most high-profile fight to date for Paul, who had an unconventional introduction to boxing, which he said started “as a whole YouTube extravaganza” of people challenging him and his brother Logan.
In January 2020, Paul entered the ring for his first professional fight, beating YouTuber Ali Eson Gib by technical knockout. Since his debut, he has gone on to defeat retired basketball player Nate Robinson and former MMA legends Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.
In February last year, Paul suffered his first loss at the hands of Tommy Fury, the younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Paul bounced back from the loss with a unanimous decision win over retired UFC fighter Diaz. In his past few fights, he defeated professional boxers Andre August and Ryan Borland, as well as bare-knuckle boxing champion Mike Perry.
