Evander Holyfield sums up Mike Tyson’s performance against Jake Paul perfectly in just 5 words

Mike Tyson’s return to the ring lasted all eight 2-minute rounds | Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Story by Toby Morgan | SECONDSOUT

Published 11:37 AM ET, Saturday November 16, 2024

After nearly a year of build-up, it finally took place on Friday at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and was the first boxing event broadcast live on Netflix.

There were plenty of concerns heading into the fight, with Tyson being 58-years-old and not having fought professionally since 2005, while Paul was 31 years younger than his rival, making it the biggest age gap in professional boxing history.

A lot of those concerns were proven right, as ‘Iron Mike’ had to compete with a knee support in the bout, and didn’t look close to anything like his old self.

Paul dictated proceedings from start to finish, but Tyson did manage to last the distance, with the judges scoring it 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 to the Youtuber-turned-boxer after eight two-minute rounds.

One of Tyson’s former foes turned friends was in attendance for the bout, with Evander Holyfield there to support his fellow boxing legend.

They met twice in the 1990s, with Holyfield coming out on top on both occasions, with the second fight ending in disqualification after the infamous ear bite.

Speaking to Fight Hub TV after the fight, Holyfield needed just five words to sum up Tyson’s performance against Paul.

“It wasn’t a good one.”

He then explained why he thinks ‘Iron Mike’ didn’t perform at his best.

“You can tell something is wrong with Tyson’s leg. His balance was off.”

Holyfield finished with a brief summary of Paul following his victory.

“He’s a pretty good fighter.”

Holyfield wasn’t the only former heavyweight champion to sum up the bout, with Lennox Lewis also needing just a few words to describe the fight involving his ex-opponent.