Jake Paul Didn’t Want to Knock Out Mike Tyson
Jake Paul Didn’t Want to Knock Out Mike Tyson
The 27-year-old fighter Jake Paul admitted that he held back and didn’t go all out during his heavyweight boxing match against Mike Tyson on November 15 at AT&T Stadium in Texas.
“I didn’t go full force,” Jake said during the post-match press conference. “I wanted to deliver an entertaining performance for the fans, but I didn’t want to hurt someone who doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”
Logan Paul, Jake’s brother, echoed the sentiment: “I think Jake allowed Tyson to keep going. Tyson is incredibly strong; he weathered the storm against a young fighter like Jake.”
A Clash Between Experience and Youth
In the match, Tyson started strong but couldn’t pull off a surprise against Jake, who is 31 years younger. Tyson threw 97 punches, landing 18 with an accuracy rate of 19%. In comparison, Jake threw 278 punches, landing 78 with an accuracy rate of 28%. The judges scored the fight 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73 in Jake’s favor after eight rounds.
In the later rounds, even though Tyson had lost stamina and was unable to defend effectively, Jake refrained from landing decisive blows to end the fight with a knockout. With only seconds left in the final round, Jake surprised everyone by dropping his hands and bowing his head in a gesture of respect for the boxing legend, despite the heated trash talk between them in the months leading up to the fight.
Jake Paul Explains Why He Held Back
Jake revealed that initially, he wanted to fight hard and knock out Tyson, especially after being slapped by the 58-year-old during the weigh-in on November 14. “But all of that disappeared as the rounds went on. There were moments when I saw Tyson stop throwing punches. I wasn’t sure if he was tired or dealing with something, but it was clear that age had caught up with him.”
Jake also disclosed that he had suffered a sprained ankle with a torn ligament during training, which forced him to use crutches in the days leading up to the match. “I had to wrap it, and stepping into the ring with a sprained ankle made things much more challenging mentally. I lost about two weeks of training, so I wasn’t at my best tonight.”
Mike Tyson’s Gratitude
Twenty-four hours after the fight, Mike Tyson expressed his pride in a heartfelt message on social media: “This is one of those situations where you lose but still feel like a winner. I’m grateful for everything that happened tonight. No regrets about stepping into the ring. Back in June, I nearly died, had to undergo eight blood transfusions, and fought hard to recover. So, in my eyes, I won.”
Tyson also shared how meaningful it was for his children to watch him go the full eight rounds against a skilled fighter half his age in a packed stadium.
Jake Paul responded to Tyson’s post: “What an honor. You’re an inspiration to all of us.”
