Jake Paul claimed he would knockout Mike Tyson during their fight, but eventually secured victory after eight rounds via a points decision as he opened up on his tactics
Jake Paul has apologised for not knocking out Mike Tyson during his victory.
The YouTuber turned boxer enjoyed another triumph as he overcame the heavyweight icon in Dallas, securing his win via a unanimous points decision. Paul was more than 30 years Tyson’s junior and their age difference eventually told in the latter stages.
The 27-year-old had talked up the fact he would knockout Tyson, but clearly eased off in the final rounds, which has seen him face criticism. Crowds at the AT&T Stadium were quick to depart on Friday night and Paul has acknowledged his failure to deliver on his promise.
He said: “I’m sorry I didn’t knock him out.” Those alongside him on his YouTube channel claimed he showed respect to Tyson by not going for the knockout blow.
Paul added: “After I’d seen him tired I didn’t want to put too much hurt on him, but I wanted the fans to get a good experience. But there was a point where my aggression and violence went away when I wasn’t getting hit. I love Mike.”
The youngster chose to bow to his opponent in the final moments when it became apparent he was going to win out on points. It means that Paul has now only lost the one fight, that coming against Tommy Fury with his record otherwise impressive.
Paul said on his recent bout: “This fight was just different. I felt a lot less nerves than normal, I’m just getting so used to these moments. Fighting in a stadium, it is less personal and less loud so it is less nerve racking. Arenas are harder to fight in. Walk out, I was cool, calm and collected.
“First round I was gauging his speed, and I managed to get his time pretty quick, saw how I could tag him up and touch him. The rest was pretty much history, I just out boxed him and had fun.”
Paul has now set his sights on being a championship fighter as he looks compete for a championship belt within two years.
“I think it could happen in the next 24 months,” he said. “I truly, truly believe in my skills and my ability and my power. And the cruiserweight division is seemingly open for the taking on that timeline,” he added.
Paul though has continued to face question over whether he’ll fight an opponent in his prime, as opposed to former champions or mixed martial artists.
