Magic Johnson Has Strong Reaction to 'Sad' Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson Fight

Matt Levine | Nov 16, 2024

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The fight on Friday night between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson was one of the more highly anticipated events in recent memory. Many tuned in to see the former star get in the ring for the first time in almost 20 years.

While the event went all eight rounds, many were disappointed in the actual fight itself. Tyson, being almost 60 years old, hardly looked like himself and many were frustrated with the overall performance.

Former NBA star Magic Johnson even weighed in on the event, sharing his feelings on social media.

"Just sad smh. I cut it off because I couldn’t watch anymore. It’s sad to see Mike Tyson like this because I went to every Tyson fight. This fight tonight was not great for boxing."

Just sad smh. I cut it off because I couldn’t watch anymore. It’s sad to see Mike Tyson like this because I went to every Tyson fight.

This fight tonight was not great for boxing.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 16, 2024

Johnson, like many others, was excited to see Tyson back in the ring but it all quickly fell through the cracks. Tyson lost to the 27-year-old YouTuber via unanimous decision. But the part that fans were most upset about was how he looked in the ring.

He showed his age completely and couldn't do much to defend himself against Paul. While Tyson did get some nice punches in, the massive age gap showed heavily from early on.

Tyson looked a little timid and his legs were stiff. Despite training for months on end for this match, it was always going to be difficult for him to overcome his advanced age.

But all the credit in the world goes to the legend for even getting back into the ring at his age. After the fight was over, Paul even bowed to Tyson and praised him for his performance.

"Let's give it up for Mike," Paul said in the ring as the audience began to leave before the decision was even announced. "He's the greatest to ever do it. I look up to him. I'm inspired by him."

The entire event was hyped up but there were problems from the start. To begin with, the streaming quality on Netflix was poor, leaving fans frustrated before the main event fight even began.

Netflix issued an apology due to the quality, noting the issues that were taking place. And then there was the pre-fight interview of Tyson when his bare butt was shown.

The entire event drew in high viewership but the product itself was lacking. The former NBA star made his voice clear and many echoed a similar sentiment.

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