YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has defeated one of the greatest fighters of all time, former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who is more than twice his age.

Paul, 27, won the fight by unanimous points decision at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys and the largest NFL stadium in the United States.

The fight was already controversial, but arguably didn’t live up to the hype. Boos were heard from the crowd during the final two rounds, after a perceived lack of action.

Afterwards, the two men congratulated each other. Paul said: “This man is an icon and it’s just an honor to be able to fight him. And he’s obviously the toughest, baddest man on the planet.”

Tyson, 58, described Paul as a “good fighter” but rejected the idea that he was out to prove something.

“I haven’t proven anything to anyone, only to myself,” he said.

Comparison of boxing careers

This was not Paul’s first professional fight. The American YouTube star made his debut in 2020, and his most high-profile clash came last year against Tyson Fury’s brother. Tommy Furywhich he lost by split decision.

The so-called “Problem Child” has since defeated former UFC contender Nate Diaz, professional boxer Andre August, former Gold Gloves champion Ryan Bourland and most recently MMA fighter Mike Perry.

In contrast, “Iron Mike” Tyson was ranked among the best heavyweight boxers of all time.

During his career, he knocked out 44 opponents and retired from professional boxing in 2005 after his defeat against Kevin McBride.

He returned to the ring in 2020 for a fight against fellow boxing icon Roy Jones, who ended with an unofficial draw.

“Someone is falling asleep”

Earlier this week, Paul said he didn’t think the fight would go the distance. “No, someone’s falling asleep,” he said. “It’s going to be a war, and we’re both heavy hitters. It won’t last the full 16 minutes.”

Tyson said: “I’ve been through so many ups and downs since my last fight with Kevin McBride.

“I’ve been to rehab. I’ve been to prison, I’ve been locked up. Never in a million years did I think I’d do this.”

Several states did not allow the fight to take place, and the Texas Athletic Commission only accepted the fight if there were changes, due to Tyson’s age.

It limited the contest to eight rounds lasting a maximum of two minutes instead of three. Both boxers also had to wear thicker gloves, designed to reduce the force of punches.

The fight was originally scheduled for July 20, but was postponed when Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up.

Taylor defends his title

Meanwhile, among the undercard fights, Irish boxer Katie Taylor successfully defended her world welterweight title against Amanda Serrano of Puerto Rico.

But it was tight. Taylor won the rematch 95-94 for all three judges in an epic battle.

The fight took place two and a half years after the two fought at Madison Square Garden, which Taylor won by split decision.

Bout suffered from buffering

Earlier this evening, thousands of Netflix users in the United States reported coverage issues, with some posting about buffering on social media.

At one point, more than 98,000 people had reported issues according to Downdetector, which tracks outages.