On 16th November, 58-year-old Mike Tyson returned to professional boxing after 19 years and fought against a 27-year-old former YouTuber Jake Paul. The match went exactly as you thought it would go. The former Heavyweight Champion was out of his bounds and, other than a little explosion in the first round, he was like a passenger.

‘The Problem Child’ carried the whole match where he held back from going all out on his ageing opponent. Fans experienced a rollercoaster of emotions where they went from being worried about the legend to just being sad by the boxing display. Fans and celebrities from all over the world voiced their opinion regarding the match including Denzel Washington being the latest entry on that list, as he gave a blunt response when asked about the fight.

Denzel Washington speechless

Washington has been on a press tour for his upcoming movie Gladiator 2 for a few months now. During the tour, he made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote his movie. The 69-year-old actor is a huge boxing fan and mentioned that he has integrated boxing into his fitness program recently. This gave Kimmel the perfect leeway to drift the conversation about the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul bout. The TV host asked Washington, “Would you consider what happened this weekend to be boxing?”.

Washington shares a professional relationship with Mike Tyson and has been a fan for a long time. He just had a simple and funny response to the question and answered, “Mike is one of the all-time and I’m glad he got paid.”, as the whole crowd erupted in laughter. It was evident that the Oscar-winning actor did not want to be disrespectful to the 50-7 boxer.

Kimmel then showed an old picture of Tyson and Washington during the Lenox Lewis fight in 2002. According to Kimmel, Washington looked “happier than when he won the Oscar,” and the actor did not deny the fact.

The TV host then referenced Mike Tyson appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live a month ago, where ‘Iron Mike’ talked about how he would smoke w**d before stepping into the ring. Kimmel asked Washington whether Tyson did “m*****oms before the fight”, with Kimmel adding, “He actually said that. Did you sense any of that in the ring?” 

Washington denied the claims with a dry smile on his face and stated, “No I didn’t, I did not.” While the actor took the questions playfully, it was evident that Mike Tyson’s performance hurt him. Furthermore, if we look at the CompuBox stats of the match, this might be Iron Mike’s worst performance ever.

Mike Tyson’s landed only 18 strikes against Jake Paul

According to CompuBox stats, The Baddest Man On The Planet was only able to land 18 out of his total 97 punches and five of 62 jabs, on Jake Paul. With only 18.6% of his punches finding its mark, this was arguably Tyson’s worst performance, as he was not even able to throw 100 punches in total.

In his previous bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, which was an exhibition match, the Brooklyn native connected with 67 out of 193 total punches with a 34.7% accuracy rate. Furthermore, Tyson also landed 57 out of a total of 170 power punches and landed 10 of 23 jabs. In all three criteria, he had a success rate of above 30% and was in much better condition.

The match against Jake Paul was a completely one-sided affair as the former YouTuber even stopped the fight with a few seconds remaining on the clock. It was his way of showing respect as he bowed down in front of the legendary boxer. However, this fight was proof that age catches up to anyone, no matter if you are The Baddest Man On The Planet. Hopefully, Mike Tyson will get the signal and will drop his rumored plans of having a trilogy with Evander Holyfield.

What are your views about the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight? Do you also agree with Denzel Washington’s comments? Let us know your thoughts down below.