Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson just came off his loss to YouTube star Jake Paul on November 15th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas. Since then, the fight has become the center of a lot of criticism, with many suggesting it was nothing more than a cash grab. In the meantime, Tyson’s son, Amir Tyson, hit back at critics.
Despite his many accolades in the world of boxing, Tyson lost all his stamina after the first few rounds. ‘The Problem Child’ didn’t have to do much to secure a unanimous decision win. To top it off, all the promises of knockouts and thrilling action were missing from the fight, as it turned into a boring and lackluster performance for both parties involved.
Despite that, the event made history, becoming the most-watched boxing event in the history of the sport, peaking at 65 million active viewers. The bout collected $18 million in gate revenue, breaking Canelo Alvarez’s $9 million gate record in Texas. However, all this came with several issues for people watching the fight from home.
Netflix’s live stream of the fight experienced technical issues, leaving many users frustrated as buffering problems made it nearly impossible to watch. Social media quickly lit up with complaints from viewers venting their disappointment. Regardless, Tyson was reportedly paid a $20 million paycheck, and Paul reportedly went home $40 million richer.
After all this, Amir Tyson, who served as part of the commentary team on fight night, took to his Instagram story to address critics of the event in a fiery message. “The internet is so dumb[;] you just take anything and run with it like clowns smfh,” he wrote, directly responding to the backlash.
Amir didn’t stop there, delving into a broader commentary on societal issues like poverty. “If all you do is gossip about events, bank accounts, and other people, you will continue to always be broke,” he added, suggesting that such behavior perpetuates financial struggles.
While some might argue that paying for an event gives viewers the right to critique it, Amir had a different perspective. He challenged his followers to reflect on their habits, offering a bold solution, “And continue to do the same thing day by day with no enhancement in life. Change your ways,” he urged.
While Amir Tyson may not appreciate the criticism surrounding the bout, the fight itself has undeniably been engulfed in controversy.
Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson expired license row
Controversies continue to surround the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight after Paul’s expired boxing license came to the public eye. WBN reported that Paul’s Texas Combative Sports license expired in August, but he was still allowed to compete in the November 15th event. According to a statement from the Communications Director for the TDLR, Tela Mange, “All fighters who competed Friday night satisfied all licensing requirements before the event.”
Mange explained that all required paperwork, including medical forms and drug testing consents, was submitted at least 72 hours before the fight. However, Paul’s license hadn’t been updated in the TLDR’s public database due to processing delays. So, Mange added, “The database had not caught up with the completed license applications.”
“Mr. Paul’s combative sports license expired in August. He did not participate in any Texas-based combative sports events between then and November 15, and so was not required to have a current Texas Combative Sports contestant license,” she clarified.
That being said, Amir Tyson seems to have had enough of people criticizing his father’s fight against Jake Paul earlier this month. Regardless, what did you think of Amir’s solution to avoid being “broke”?
