The much-anticipated fight between the King of the Ring, Mike Tyson, and internet personality, Jake Paul, finally concluded on Friday at AT&T Stadium (home of the Dallas Cowboys) in Arlington, Texas.
It was live-streamed on Netflix, and it had Cowboys owner Jerry Jones excited about the possibility that this new step of online streaming could expand the NFL’s international reach.
Jerry Jones Can’t Chill When Talking About Netflix
According to NBC Sports, Jones said on Saturday:
“We’re all being introduced to Netflix. This gives us a chance to reach forty, fifty million people from right here. The league is thrilled about Netflix becoming a huge part of our future.”
Apart from the aforementioned contest, Netflix also inked a deal with the league in May to live-stream Christmas Day games for the next three years. However, the contract had a clause stating that the OTT platform would choose its own analysts to call the games. Likely, Amazon Prime also has media rights to Friday Night Football from 2023 to 2033, for which it paid $1 billion per year.
However, Netflix’s first attempt at handling a live stream for a sports event did not come without its drawbacks. Per Down Detector, around 85,000 people had complications with streaming leading up to the fight, including Deion Sanders’ son.
Coach Prime’s Son Deion Jr. Frustrated With Netflix’s Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul Streaming Delay
The hype surrounding the headlining event was partly due to Tyson’s long absence from sanctioned boxing (he hadn’t fought in nearly 19 years), and also because the fight, originally scheduled for July 20, was delayed by almost four months. Tyson suffered some serious medical issues and needed multiple blood transfusions for an ulcer.
As the fight was about to begin on Netflix, there was a streaming delay. Excitement among fans waiting to witness the spectacle was bursting through the roof. Another fan, Coach Prime’s son, Deion Sanders Jr., expressed his frustration:
“Bro can you please just start the fight”
Bro can you please just start the fight
— Deion Sanders Jr (@DeionSandersJr) November 16, 2024
In the bout itself, Jake Paul (27) won every round of the contest against the much older Tyson (58), claiming a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight in “The Problem Child’s” favor, 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.