I am not the world’s biggest boxing fan. I have watched as many headline fights as I have fingers on one hand. Most of the matches I have seen involve influencers. While these fights don’t compare to World Boxing Council (WBC) bouts, they capture my attention because of the names involved.
But when the opponents are out of their league in age and a fight is purely a cash grab, my attention wavers.
Influencers like brothers Jake and Logan Paul along with JJ Olatunji, known as KSI, shaped this new era of boxing the last few years. What once started as a one-time deal from KSI turned into an explosion of influencers fighting professional boxers.
KSI, known for his humorous and gaming videos, faced off against fellow United Kingdom YouTuber Joe Weller in a boxing match in February 2018. Videos of the bout on each of their channels amassed more than 20 million views in the first three days, according to the Independent.
After KSI’s technical knockout, the tide turned in influencer boxing when he challenged Jake and Logan Paul. Logan agreed to the terms for the two to fight six months later.
The bout, which was dubbed “the biggest internet event in history” ended in a draw, sparking social media influence to push for a rematch. On the second try, KSI defeated Logan Paul via a split decision in November 2019 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
KSI vs. Logan Paul sparked future YouTube fights getting picked up by streaming services such as DAZN and Netflix. Netflix has jumped into the mix of influencer boxing, streaming the latest big match — Jake Paul against Mike Tyson.
Jake, I don’t like you. And you need to fight a real boxer your age.
Jake started to take boxing more seriously compared to his brother Logan. In 2020, Jake made his professional boxing debut by defeating AnEsonGib, a UK YouTuber.
Jake fought and defeated former NBA player Nate Robinson and UFC fighters Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva — all non-boxers. UFC competitors have striking abilities comparable to those in the WBC. However, two of the three UFC fighters, Askren and Woodley, excel on the ground attacks and are not known for their striking ability.
Jake cruised past his first six opponents with four fights scored as a technical knockout or knockout and two based on the judge’s decision. The former Vine and Disney Channel star started to rack up decisions and fights but did not face any real boxers until his seventh time in the ring.
Then came his first loss when he faced Tommy Fury, former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s brother. Tommy took down Jake by split decision, warranting the first and only loss so far on Jake’s record (12-1).
Jake’s 12th win came by the hands of Mike Tyson. For some reason, the great Tyson decided to step into the ring with Jake on Nov. 15. He hasn’t fought somebody since May 11, 2005, when he lost to Kevin McBride to a TKO — when I was two years old — so I had to see him step into the ring one last time before he hung it up.
As quickly as I got to my room is how quick the fight had ended. Well for as much as I could watch because of the streaming issues that came with the first live sports event for Netflix. Nearly 85,000 viewers logged problems with outages or streaming leading up to the fight, according to the website Down Detector.
While it did go all eight rounds, I was only able to watch six of them because of the connection. Jake was able to coast to a win because of one main reason — age.
Tyson is 58, over 30 years older than his opponent. Jake dominated because of his ability to strike fast and dodge Tyson’s punches. Being out of the professional ring for 19 years took a toll on Tyson’s body. After what looked to be wins in the first two rounds by Tyson, he hit a speed bump and didn’t look the same.
The age difference also sparked similar conversation on social media.
“Love @MikeTyson,” sports television personality Stephen A. Smith said on X after the fight. “Always have, always will. But 58 is 58. Plus the legs just wasn’t there. Old is old. Thank God he didn’t get knocked out. Now it’s time for @jakepaul to get in the ring with a Top-10 fighter — or Hell, a Champion. No more BBall players, strikers from MMA, or old men. It’s time for Jake to get into a real fight. He’s good enough! Make it happen.”
This fight wasn’t even the worst thing to be streamed on the night because when Netflix was interviewing Tyson before the fight they showed his buttocks.
At this point in Tyson’s career, which looks like it’s on their final legs, seemed like a money grab. Tyson was rumored to make $20 million from the fight, according to Bleacher Report. Without getting knocked out and walking away with $20 million in your pocket seems like a win.
It was clear that Jake won the match fighting against somebody who was not on par with him in a movement aspect. His boxing record may deceive some, but when you look deeper you see what’s behind the naked eye.
Robinson, Askren, Woodley, Silva and Tyson are all 40 years or older while Jake isn’t even 30. This needs to stop.
Influencer boxing is just a way for YouTubers and TikTok giants to fight boxers past their prime. Until an influencer registers for the WBC, I will not take their fights seriously.
