Peyton Manning was in the commentary booth for the Dallas Cowboys’ clash with the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football and couldn’t resist a swipe at the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight
Peyton Manning, the two-time Super Bowl champion, couldn’t resist making a jibe about the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight during his NFL coverage after a brawl broke out. Manning was hosting the ‘ManningCast’ with his brother Eli and New England Patriots legendary coach Bill Belichick as they tuned into the Dallas Cowboys versus Houston Texans game at the ATandT Stadium on Monday Night Football.
Just three days prior, the same venue had been the stage for Tyson’s return to professional boxing after 19 years, where he faced off against YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul. The fight was streamed on Netflix, marking the platform’s first foray into live sports broadcasting, but it failed to live up to the hype with Paul dominating the 58 year old Tyson in the eight-round bout.
Fans were left underwhelmed by the lack of action in the main event, and the undercard broadcast was plagued by buffering and crashing issues. In the days following the fight, it has been the subject of various comments and digs, with Manning taking his shot on Monday night.
During the Texans’ 34-10 triumph over the Cowboys, a brawl erupted when KaVontae Turpin caught a kickoff and ran upfield before being tackled. Turpin then found himself in a scuffle with Houston’s kicking team, leading to a mass brawl involving players from both teams as tempers flared.
The scuffle at the stadium prompted a cheeky reference from Belichick, who noted a recent fight that had occurred there, saying, “They just had (a fight) down there on Friday night, right? ” This set the stage for Peyton Manning to deliver a witty retort: “I think this one was better than the one Friday night,” as he took a playful jab at the Netflix bout. Fans were amused by Manning’s take as they watched Paul use his youth to his advantage against Tyson, reports the Mirror US.
Post-fight, Paul expressed his reluctance to cause harm in the ring, stating, “I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone who didn’t need to be hurt.”
He also shared his admiration for Tyson, mentioning that any animosity from a pre-match slap dissipated as the match progressed: “I have so much respect” for Tyson and “kind of went away as the rounds went on.”
In another part of the stadium, drama unfolded before the Cowboys-Texans game even started when a section of the roof collapsed onto the field, narrowly missing several broadcast crew members setting up for the event.
The match took place with the roof closed, the Texans rubbed salt in the wound of the Cowboys’ fifth consecutive loss. Houston’s social media team took a cheeky swipe at Dallas, posting an image of the ATandT Stadium with two metal sheets dangling from the retractable roof, accompanied by the caption: “look out beLow,” with a deliberate capital ‘L’ to drive the defeat home.
