Mike Tyson and Jake Paul suspended from boxing after Netflix combat slammed

Both Mike Tyson and Jake Paul must now serve a suspension from boxing.

Paul, 27, secured an unanimous decision victory over Tyson, 58, who had not fought a professional bout since he retired on his stool against Kevin McBride in 2005. The two-time heavyweight world champion started with huge intensity, but father time caught up with him in the later rounds.

The YouTuber capitalised on Tyson’s exhaustion and racked up the rounds, culminating in scorecards of 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 in his favour. Now the fight is over both Tyson and Paul must serve a ban away from the squared circle.

Both fighters will have to observe a period of rest, as stipulated by the rules of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. They will be mandated to keep away from boxing for at least seven days.

The board requires a three-day rest period for every round fought. As the fight lasted the full eight rounds, both fighters must rest for a minimum of 24 days. After the fight, Tyson and Paul would have underwent medical evaluations to ensure they haven’t incurred any severe injuries.

If a boxer suffered defeat by a technical knockout where the referee deems the fighter unable to continue for safety reasons, they’d be obliged to take at least a 30-day break from the ring. If Tyson or Paul were knocked out, this rest period would extend to a minimum of 60 days.

Given that both fighters donned substantially padded 14oz gloves, the probability of a knockout was notably diminished. As the fight progressed into the later stages, it seemed Tyson’s age finally began to show.

His attacks became less dynamic, and his punch frequency dropped compared to the earlier rounds. Paul, for his part, seemed to be holding back, a restraint he later confirmed was borne from respect for Tyson.

Responding to whether he eased up on his opponent, he said: “Yeah definitely. Definitely a bit. I wanted to give the fans a show but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.”

Boxing fans on social media were furious with the quality of the bout, while many more in the arena voted with their feet. Before the scorecards were revealed, thousands of spectators could be seen leaving the AT&T Stadium in Texas, with the 70k-plus crown notably diminishing.

While many boxing fans are hopeful that this fight marks Tyson’s last venture into the squared circle in consideration of his age and illustrious career, it is anticipated that Paul will likely make a swift return to competitive fighting.