YouTuber Jake Paul may have triumphed over former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, but there’s a buzz about the “real winner” of the evening that’s got boxing fans talking on social media.
Despite going toe-to-toe, Paul and Tyson faced a chorus of boos in the second half of their punch-up, with some of the 70,000-strong crowd at the AT&T Stadium even walking out before the fight had concluded.
Paul, 27, was crowned winner by a unanimous points decision against ‘Iron Mike’, 58, with scorecards reading 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 in his favour. Yet, it wasn’t just the fight streamed on Netflix catching eyes – University of Alabama student and influencer Sydney Thomas appeared to steal the show as a Ring Girl, leaving viewers labelling her the night’s standout.
Sydney shone alongside her fellow MVP models Lexi Williams, Raphaela Milagres, Virginia Sanhouse, and Delia Sylvain, with stardom predicted for her post-bout. “Sydney Thomas, the real winner of Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson,” tweeted one drooling X (formerly Twitter) user.
“If the Paul vs Tyson fight buffered only while showing Sydney Thomas the fight wouldn’t have been so bad,” posted another fan, poking fun at the reported glitchy streaming issues. Another chimed in: “My entire feed is Sydney Thomas content and honestly I’m down with it.”
Whilst a fourth person declared: “Just watched the highlights of Mike Tyson destroying Jake Paul, it was crazy a fight but my winner is Sydney Thomas.”
(Image: iamsydneythomas/Instagram)
It was only the second stint for Sydney as a Ring Girl, having kicked off her ringside career last month during a fight in Puerto Rico. She shared with her 283,000 Instagram fans at the time: “Adding ‘ring girl’ to the resume,” also adding, “I had a blast getting in the ring for my first ever boxing event (and first time in Puerto Rico).
“I thank God every day for allowing me to be a part of such amazing opportunities and experiences. Truly feeling so blessed. See you next time for round two.”
(Image: Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix)
Following his win, Paul paid homage to Tyson: “Mike Tyson, he’s a legend,” he hailed. “He’s the greatest to ever do it. I look up to him and we wouldn’t be here today without him. This man is an icon and it’s an honour to fight him. It was tough like I expected it to be.”
The much-anticipated face-off had been originally set for four months earlier, however, it was derailed when Tyson suffered an inflamed ulcer during a flight, leading him to collapse and cough blood in the bathroom, resulting in hospitalisation.