CNN
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YouTuber-boxer Jake Paul defeated former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson via unanimous decision in their highly anticipated professional fight on Friday night in Arlington, Texas.

Fighting in front of 72,300 fans at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, Paul controlled most of the fight against Tyson and won by unanimous decision after all three judges ruled in his favor with scores of 80-72, 79 -73 and 79-73.

With the win, Paul improves to 11-1 in his professional career, including seven knockouts, and becomes the sixth fighter to defeat the Hall of Famer in his career.

“First and foremost Mike Tyson, it’s such an honor,” Paul told Tyson after the match. “He is the GOAT. I look up to him, I am inspired by him and without him we wouldn’t be here today. This man is an icon and it’s just an honor to fight him.”

The opening rounds were fairly tame as the two boxers got used to each other’s fighting styles.

Tyson, who had not fought in a professional fight in 19 years, came out aggressively in the third round, coming forward with hard punches and cutting Paul off early. However, Paul responded moments later, catching Tyson with several well-thrown punches, which seemed to rock the former heavyweight champion.

The 58-year-old started to show signs of fatigue for the first time in the match and came to a standstill. He never showed the dips, slips or bursts forward on haymakers that once earned him 44 knockouts.

Roy Jones Jr., who Tyson last fought in an exhibition in November 2020, was on the broadcast panel and noticed Tyson’s lack of movement. ‘I don’t like Mike’s legs. I don’t like Mike’s legs at all.”

Paul continued to take control of the fight from there, landing his combinations and giving Tyson problems with his jabs. Tyson showed bursts of energy during the later rounds, but never proved to be a real threat.

The pair were originally scheduled to fight in July this year, but it was postponed when Tyson developed an ulcer during a flight.

Tyson was asked after the fight if he felt he had proven to the world that he could go the distance despite his age.

“I haven’t proven anything to anyone but myself. I’m not one of those guys who wants to please the world. I’m just happy with what I can do,” Tyson said.

In his professional career, Tyson was known for his brutal knockouts, winning emphatically against legends such as Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes. His last professional win came in February 2003, when he defeated Clifford Etienne by first-round knockout. His last fight was an exhibition fight against Jones Jr. in November 2020, which ended as a draw.

Friday’s fight was perhaps the most high-profile bout yet for Paul, who had an unconventional foray into boxing that he said started “as a whole YouTube extravaganza” of people challenging him and his brother Logan.

In January 2020, Paul entered the ring for his first professional fight, defeating YouTuber Ali Eson Gib by technical knockout. Since his debut, he has defeated retired basketball player Nate Robinson and former MMA legends Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.

In February last year, Paul suffered his first defeat at the hands of Tommy Fury, the younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Paul bounced back from the loss with a unanimous decision victory over retired UFC fighter Diaz. In his past fights, he has defeated professional boxers Andre August and Ryan Borland, as well as bare-knuckle boxing champion Mike Perry.

Friday night’s fight was Netflix’s first live boxing event, which featured seven action-packed fights.

However, viewers on social media reported throughout the night that they were having trouble watching the event on the streaming platform. Some of the issues included buffer delays, delays, and battle loading issues.

According to DownDetector, approximately 90,000 viewers reported disruptions in the hour leading up to the fight.

Some viewers on social media posted images of their frozen TV screens, and others of the spinning loading wheel, saying they had to reload the app to watch it.

Another reported problem was the sound of the broadcast, particularly during an interview with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. While speaking to other analysts, Jones’ microphone did not appear to be working, making it difficult for viewers to hear what he was saying.

Netflix declined to comment on the issues.

“This is the biggest event,” Paul said of the fight’s success. “More than 120 million people on Netflix. We crashed the site.”

The streaming platform will show two NFL games on Christmas Day after signing a three-season contract with the league. WWE’s weekly ‘Raw’ show will also air on the platform from 2025.

Exciting co-main event ends in controversy

In the co-main event, it was Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano’s second episode. The crowd and commentators erupted in disbelief and boos as Taylor was awarded a unanimous decision victory.

The two fighters put on a masterclass, with Serrano being the aggressor and Taylor lunging forward with powerful shots, often clashing heads with the challenger. In the eighth round, the champion was deducted a point after her fourth ruled headbutt.

Serrano seemed in control and was caught off guard by the decision. After the fight, Serrano called Taylor a “dirty fighter.” According to Compubox, Serrano defeated the champion 324-217.

This story has been updated with additional information.