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Hall of Famer and former undisputed world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson broke his silence on his loss to social media influencer Jake Paul during an eight-round boxing exhibition as part of Netflix's live controversial streaming debut for the sport Friday (November 16) night.
"This is one of those situations when you lost but still won. I’m grateful for last night. No regrets to get in ring one last time. I almost died in June. Had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won. To have my children see me stand toe to toe and finish 8 rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy stadium is an experience that no man has the right to ask for. Thank you #PaulTyson," Tyson wrote on his X account, acknowledging an ulcer flare up during a cross country flight in May that delayed the fight in June.
Paul, 27, scored 80-72, 79-73, 79-73, over Tyson, 58, whose last official match came in a loss to Kevin McBride in 2005, during the highly-anticipated event at AT&T Stadium. Fans were livid by the fight itself, which many online deemed to be boring and a cash-grab, as well as Netflix's streaming issues throughout the night, with the service trending as many customers experienced buffering issues during the rest of the card, including Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.
"Im in the classic torture chamber where I cant tell if my internet keeps going out or whether #Netflix is just constantly buffering and unwatchable for everybody," Portnoy wrote on his X account. "So the reports are in. #Netflix wasnt ready for this. This is unwatchable."
"Credit to Jake Paul + Mike Tyson for pulling off one of the great cons of century. I shoulda put 10 million on Jake. Not cause he's good but cause he fought a senior citizen. I would say everybody involved should be ashamed but I'd take the money it too if I could. #TysonPaul," Portnoy added in another post.
Tyson, the youngest boxer to ever win a heavyweight title and one of the most dominant ever in the weight class, went 50-6-2 (44 KO) in 58 career professional fights prior to Friday's loss. Paul has a 10-1 record in 11 professional boxing matches, which included a first-round TKO against Ryan Bourland on March 2.