Mike Tyson’s final defeat to Jake Paul has made history, becoming one of the most-watched sporting events ever, as it joined an elite list of global spectacles.
While the much-anticipated bout on Friday night may not have lived up to expectations in the ring, it far exceeded Netflix’s projections, peaking at a remarkable 65 million streams. The streaming giant described the event as a “record-breaking night,” though the platform faced technical challenges due to the overwhelming demand. Viewers reported issues with freezing, buffering, and resolution problems as Netflix broadcasted the fight to its hundreds of millions of subscribers without charging additional fees.
Despite these technical glitches, Paul’s victory over the 58-year-old boxing legend Tyson, who is 31 years his senior, made the bout the 10th most-watched sporting event of all time.
At 27, Paul defeated Tyson in a lackluster eight-round fight, which saw only 375 combined punches thrown. Tyson showed brief moments of brilliance early on but ended up landing just 18 punches, while Paul spent much of the match evading his opponent.
Nevertheless, the fight became a historic night for Netflix, as its streaming numbers reached 65 million concurrent viewers, surpassing the 1978 World Series, where the New York Yankees triumphed over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
