The Fight That Broke the Internet: Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul

Story by Lilian Cunningham. Photo courtesy of Free Malaysia Today.

Mike Tyson, an infamous 58 year old retired boxer, came up against an up and coming 27 year old internet sensation, Jake Paul. Who knew the havoc the internet would turn into after the outcome of this fight?

On November 15, 2024, everyone tuned in on their devices to watch the long awaited fight. Eight rounds in and the results were solidified. Jake Paul won. Before the fight had even started, many people on different social media platforms all thought the same thing: Mike Tyson was definitely going to win. Videos of Tyson circulated on sites like TikTok and Instagram, comparing Paul to just another phony waiting to be knocked down.

There were also many videos comparing how each boxer prepared for the fight, most making fun of Paul. However when Paul won, conspiracy theories formed almost immediately with many people rushing to say the fight was fake. People on social media claimed to have found a “script” of sorts, showing how the fight was meant to go, but this was quickly shut down, seeing as how the script did not match to the reality of how the fight went.

According to Bleacher Report, fans found out that, “while not officially disclosed by any participants or Netflix, Paul mentioned during a pre-fight press conference that he was there to make $40 million.” It was also said that Tyson received $20 million from the fight. This created doubts as to whether the fight was real or not, seeing as both parties received large sums of money.

In the end, Tyson wrote a lengthy response to the fight. According to CBS News, Tyson had no regrets about getting in the ring one last time and losing a boxing match to Paul.

Lilian Cunningham is a 7th grade scholar at Woodridge International Middle School.