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Debate

Is Jake Paul the future of boxing, or just a social media sensation riding Tyson's coattails?

YouTube star Jake Paul is undoubtedly riding high after his victory over former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson last Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event shattered records, quickly becoming one of the most-watched fights ever. Meanwhile, ‘The Problem Child’ celebrated his win with a 1,500,000,000 milestone. 

According to reports, in addition to making $40 million from the bout, the Paul vs. Tyson event had 60 million recorded viewers on Netflix, with streams peaking at 65 million. To add a cherry on top, the event broke Canelo Alvarez’s previous $9 million gate revenue record in Texas, with an estimated gate revenue of $18 million.

Not to mention, the biggest names from Hollywood to heavy hitters from various sports were all at the venue to watch the fight go down—or perhaps to watch Tyson knockout Jake Paul. Whatever the case may be, the 27-year-old managed to pull off a win, even though the fight wasn’t exactly anything to ride home about. 

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Despite Mike Tyson’s initial burst of energy, the former world champion succumbed to father time and the toll it takes. Jake Paul would eventually prevail, as he was crowned the victor via a unanimous decision. Nonetheless, ‘The Problem Child’ hopped on his Instagram story today to show off his skyrocketing popularity a mere two days after the event.

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According to a screenshot he shared, over 1.5 billion people visited his Instagram handle in the last 30 days. “21% of the world’s population in the last 30 days,” Paul wrote celebrating the incredible achievement. A big part of this achievement, he owes to his dance partner Mike Tyson. Paul and his company Most Valuable Promotions were the masterminds behind the event, and their collective achievement speaks for itself. 

Months of back and forth on social media, press conferences, and whatnot created the hype among fans. Adding to that, the affordable pricing on Netflix to watch the fight and adequate talent on the undercard sealed its successful destiny. However, his celebration didn’t end there!

Mike Tyson joins Jake Paul to celebrate ‘history’

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What’s your perspective on:

Is Jake Paul the future of boxing, or just a social media sensation riding Tyson's coattails?

Have an interesting take?

Since the fight, Paul turned to Instagram to share a poster for the event, which showcased its 65 million viewership achievement. Meanwhile, in the caption of the post, Paul wrote, “Crushed every viewership record for boxing since the advent of cable. What an accomplishment. And over 50M households saw the best of women’s boxing on display.”

 

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A post shared by Jake Paul (@jakepaul)

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Having made a humongous impact on the boxing world with the fight, Paul added, “That’s the biggest win. We are boxing.” Soon afterward, Tyson joined the conversation in the comments to express his thoughts on the massive achievement. “Jake we made history together, broke records, and inspired people. I’m honored,” he wrote.

That being said, there are a few things to note. None of this would have been possible without Mike Tyson. The only reason people tuned in to watch is because Paul was fighting Tyson, and also because it cost them nothing to do so. If the fight were on normal PPV, it’s not hard to imagine the Paul-Tyson fight would have become irrelevant. What do you think? 

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