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Like most watching the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight on Nov. 15, Stephen A. Smith was uncomfortable witnessing a 58-year-old Tyson get beat up by Paul. Shannon Sharpe, however, did not see it the same way and instead saw Tyson's loss as “pathetic.”
“When you step into the ring, we gotta set [age] aside and judge you on your performance,” Sharpe said on ‘First Take.' “That performance was pathetic. You don't get no kudos talking about, ‘Oh, he's 58.' No, that's not what this is. This was not some charity. You said you were going to do this… Hopefully, he's made enough money with this fight that he doesn't have to do this anymore.”
As a shell of himself, Tyson landed just 18 punches in the entire fight as opposed to 78 from Paul, per Compubox. He threw no more than 21 total punches in a single round.
The entire conversation throughout the leadup to the fight surrounded Tyson and his age. At 58, Tyson had not only been out of a professional boxing ring for nearly two decades but also suffered an ulcer flare-up that kept him out of the original fight date in July. Tyson would also announce on X, formerly Twitter, after the fight that his medical concern nearly killed him over the summer.
The official fight purses have not been released to the public, though it is a well-known fact that Paul's opponents have consistently been well-compensated. Netflix reported that the event received over 60 million views, making it one of the most-watched boxing events of all time.
Will Mike Tyson continue fighting?
After his lopsided loss to Jake Paul left many fans unsatisfied, Mike Tyson did not confirm or deny the thought that he would finally retire from boxing. The former unified heavyweight champion officially retired from professional fighting in 2005 but has competed in several amateur bouts since then.
Tyson infamously attempted to launch the failed “Mike Tyson World Tour” in 2006 before seemingly leaving the sport for good. He returned in another exhibition setting against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, four years before coming out of retirement to fight Paul as a professional.
After his seventh official loss, Tyson was asked by Ariel Helwani in the ring if he would retire. He denied the sentiment, instead proposing the idea that he potentially face Paul's older brother, Logan Paul, in the future. The WWE star confidently turned the offer down, saying he would “kill” Tyson in a hypothetical boxing match.
Tyson's future remains uncertain, though his age likely prevents another athletic commission from sanctioning another fight of his as a professional bout.
