Mike Tyson's highly anticipated return to professional boxing after nearly two decades generated significant public interest, but the reviews of his performance were far from kind. The 58-year-old former heavyweight champion's lamentable display in a unanimous decision defeat against the YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul elicited disappointment and condemnation from fans and fellow athletes alike. Meanwhile, the event's live streaming on Netflix was plagued by technical issues, further marring the overall experience.

A Fading Legend's Struggle to Recapture the Glory

A Mismatch of Epic Proportions

The 31-year age gap between Tyson and Paul was thought to be the largest in boxing history, eclipsing the 24-year difference between Archie Moore and Mike DiBiase in 1963. Tyson, who has a history of health issues, looked every bit the part of a man pushing 60 as he labored through eight dreary rounds, his spirit willing but his body in full rebellion. The former heavyweight champion connected with a mere 18 punches over the eight two-minute rounds, including just six in the last five sessions, while his 27-year-old opponent landed 78 blows.

Tyson's Lamentable Performance

Wearing a compression sleeve on his right knee, Tyson appeared completely exhausted after the first round, with his movement visibly hampered. This left the younger and more agile Paul to score at will with outside jabs, eliciting disappointment and condemnation from the crowd of more than 72,000 spectators at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson expressed his sadness, writing, "It's sad to see Mike Tyson like this because I went to every Tyson fight. This fight tonight was not great for boxing."

Criticism from Fellow Boxers

The criticism was not limited to the dismal main event. Four-weight boxing champion Terence Crawford was blunt in his assessment, stating, "I love Mike Tyson, but [commentators are] giving him too much credit. He looked like trash, to train that long and only throw 97 punches the whole fight is crazy. I'm just glad he didn't get hurt out there." Former NFL star and Burnley FC minority investor JJ Watt also expressed his regret for staying up to watch the fight, writing, "Mad at myself for staying awake for that. I know better."

A Stark Contrast with the Co-Feature Bout

The seven-fight card marked Netflix's third foray into live sports, and the enormous popularity of Paul and Tyson, with divergent age demographics, helped attract a massive global audience. However, this influx of viewers overwhelmed the company's servers, resulting in thousands of complaints from viewers about buffering problems and frozen screens.

Technical Woes Plague the Streaming Experience

The technical issues began during the co-feature bout, which saw Katie Taylor win a disputed 10-round unanimous decision over Amanda Serrano in a much-anticipated rematch of their 2022 classic. The crowd-pleasing scrap offered a stark contrast with the dour main event, but not for the nearly 100,000 users who reported network issues starting in the middle rounds, according to the website Downdetector. These problems would persist into Tyson's fight with Paul, driving many viewers to X and Bluesky to vent their frustrations, where #NetflixCrash was among the trending topics.

A Roaring Success, but at What Cost?

Despite the technical difficulties and the disappointing main event, the event promoted by Paul's three-year-old Most Valuable Promotions company was a financial success. The live gate of nearly $18 million shattered the record for the largest US boxing gate outside of Las Vegas and nearly doubled the previous Texas mark for a boxing or MMA event. Paul later boasted, "This is the biggest event. Over 120 million people on Netflix. We crashed the site."However, the rocky showing for the streamer, whose live sports ambitions are central to its plans for growing its nascent advertising business, raises questions about the long-term viability of such high-profile events. Netflix will broadcast two NFL games over Christmas and will begin streaming World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw franchise in January as part of a 10-year, $5 billion deal signed this year, and the company will need to address these technical challenges to ensure a seamless viewing experience for its growing sports audience.