Sports
Jake Paul defeats Mike Tyson with ease in Netflix spectacle
In a display that fell short of even the most measured expectations that come with gimmick fights, Jake Paul breezed past a 58-year-old Mike Tyson on Friday night in a bout that was heavy on nostalgia and bombast but lacking in any sort of competitive satisfaction.
Tyson landed just 18 punches in eight sluggish rounds. Paul, the 27-year-old influencer who is far better at promotion than boxing, followed suit by just letting them both get to the end for a decision. By then, they were both surely richer by millions and the fight that didn’t matter in the first place proved to be one that fans wanted to quickly forget.
It was also a mixed night for Netflix, which streamed the bout to its hundreds of millions of subscribers without charging extra fees, but struggled to keep up with clearly high demand and widespread complaints of freezing, buffering and resolution problems.
“I wanted to give the fans a show but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt,” Paul told reporters afterward.
For about 60 seconds, it looked like Tyson might thrill the packed AT&T Stadium crowd in Arlington, Texas, with a momentary flashes of the presence he had during his heyday in the ’80s and early ’90s. But for the next 15 minutes, plus some breaks for deep breaths, he looked exactly like a man nearing his 60th birthday who hadn’t fought a professional boxing match in 19 years.
Paul spent much of the fight dancing around Tyson. He lowered his arms often and taunted the legendary knockout artist to try to get close. But Tyson never built up any offense, and went long stretches without even throwing punches. Paul pieced him up with elementary combinations and some sharp left hooks, but even his glancing blows drew some reaction from a clearly underwhelmed crowd seeking any kind of highlight.
Afterward, Paul said it was an honor to share the ring with Tyson and called the former champion the GOAT.
As for the exhausted Tyson, he said he was “totally happy” with his performance, while admitting he went into the fight with an injury. He refused to elaborate.
He did say that he might like to fight again, and offered to fight Paul’s brother, Logan Paul, who was standing in the ring. Logan Paul, a WWE wrestler who had an exhibition with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2021, shot back a puzzled look and a quick retort: “I’ll kill you, Mike.”
Netflix declined comment on its technical issues, which came in the leadup to the Tyson-Paul bout and especially undercut the most thrilling bout on the card, Katie Taylor’s controversial decision win over Amanda Serrano. It was Taylor’s second win over her rival and a high profile followup to their first match in April 2022 that sold out Madison Square Garden. Serrano, clearly gutted by the judges’ scores, tearfully pledged to keep chasing big moments for her sport.
Hardly anyone, conversely, will be calling for a rematch of the main event between Paul and Tyson. The louder calls will almost certainly be for Tyson to step away from the ring for good. And, perhaps, for Paul to fight legitimate competitors who are active in the sport.
It’s unclear, of course, if Paul wants to do that. His 11-1 record is padded with wins over subpar competition, and his one loss was to Tommy Fury, who boxes but had been better known as a reality TV personality and the half brother of Tyson Fury, the heavyweight star.
Paul didn’t call out any new opponents, but did say that he was the route for boxers to make big paydays, and repeated his claim that he could deliver that even to Canelo Alvarez, who is perhaps the sport’s most bankable star right now.
Paul claimed in the leadup to the fight that he was earning $40 million for the bout with Tyson, though the actual earnings for both headliners was not made public. Clearly, getting in the ring was a victory for both men even though their display barely qualified as a fight.
“There was a point where I was just like, he’s not really engaging back,” Paul said, adding: “I could just tell that his age was showing a little bit.”
Tyson, one of the biggest stars in sports when he was at his height, looked like a shell of the boxer who last fought professionally in 2005. Even that Tyson quit on his stool before the seventh round against journeyman Kevin McBride.
Still, he opened the door for Friday night’s bout with an exhibition four years ago against Roy Jones Jr., a draw that featured Paul on the undercard early in his boxing foray.
On Friday night, the wear on Tyson was evident. The YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul was more comfortable with his technique and used his three-inch height advantage to keep Tyson out of range.
While it was clear Tyson trained significantly, as evidenced by his flashes of power in the first few rounds, he had little hope of matching Paul’s endurance.
Just six months ago, Tyson suffered a medical emergency on a flight that left him throwing up blood and eventually losing 26 pounds, he said in the buildup to the fight. While the two-and-a-half-inch ulcer in his stomach didn’t prevent the rescheduled bout from taking place, its effects clearly played a major role Friday.
The bout was fought with 14-ounce gloves — rather than the traditional 10-ounce gloves — over the course of eight two-minute rounds, as opposed to the typical 12 three-minute rounds for men’s championship fights.
At the weigh-ins Thursday, Tyson delivered a stiff slap to Paul after Paul appeared to step on one of his feet. Paul said later the same day: “It’s personal now. He must die.”
Paul joins a list of Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Danny Williams and the aforementioned McBride as the men who have beaten Tyson.
Tyson’s loss went on his professional record, lowering his career mark to 50-7.
Required reading
(Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)
Sports
Will Ospreay firmly believes he can carry AEW if he’s able to win world championship at All In
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NEW YORK – Will Ospreay was able to live out his “dream match” on Sunday night at All Elite Wrestling (AEW)’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view in New York.
Ospreay squared off against Samoa Joe in the first round of the Owen Hart Men’s Tournament. The winner of the tournament will earn an AEW World Championship shot at All In – AEW’s premiere event of the year – at Wembley Stadium in England.
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Will Ospreay defeated Samoa Joe in a wrestling match at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
He started the match with an OsCutter, catching Joe off guard. The two battled their way through the match but it was Ospreay who hit Joe with multiple Hidden Blades to get the win. The “Aerial Assassin” was asked about his ability to carry AEW on his shoulders and become the face of the company should he win the Owen and take the title later this year.
“It’s because I have that confidence and that belief I can carry those three letters,” he said at the post-show scrum. “The middle letter, ‘E,’ that’s the standard, mate – elite. When everybody talks about elite pro wrestling, there is no one better on this planet. I believe that with my heart. I believe that with my soul.
Samoa Joe and Will Ospreay compete in a wrestling match at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
“I know what I’m capable of. I know what I can do. This place, the motto, and it gets said over and over again, ‘this is where the best wrestle.’ No, mate. This is where the ‘Billy Goat’ wrestles. And I’m ready more than ever to take that top spot and to take AEW to new heights.”
Ospreay said he has dreamed about performing at Wembley Stadium as a pro wrestler while his schoolmates were dreaming of becoming soccer players.
He had battled back through a neck injury and worked out with the Death Riders to turn into the weapon he once was. The entire situation miffed Joe, which culminated in a match at Double or Nothing.
Ospreay will either face Mark Davis or Jack Perry in the semifinals. On the other side of the men’s bracket, Swerve Strickland defeated Bandido at Double or Nothing. He will either face Claudio Castagnoli or Brody King in the semis.
Will Ospreay competes in the ring during AEW Dynamite at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Oct. 2, 2024. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
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The finals of the Owen Cup will be held at Forbidden Door on June 28.
Good as advertised.
That’s all you can say about Dos Pueblos freshman outfielder Mattias Di Maggio, whose first year of high school baseball came to an end with a 13-6 playoff loss to Mira Costa. But what a season he had.
He struck out once in 84 at-bats (it came against a Santa Barbara left-handed pitcher). He set a school record with 11 home runs. He batted .508 with 36 hits and nine doubles.
Said Mira Costa coach Andy Diver: “Very special player. Most polished freshman I have ever seen.”
College and pro scouts are well aware of his talents, so it will be interesting to see what he can accomplish over the next three seasons of high school baseball. At least Goleta is going to be quite popular to visit just to see him play.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Victor Wembanyama scores 33 as Spurs dominate Thunder in Game 4 to even Western Conference Finals
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The San Antonio Spurs have evened up the Western Conference Finals in dominant fashion, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-82, on Sunday night.
With both teams winning two games now, it will be a pivotal matchup in Game 5 back at Paycor Center in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night to see who will have the upper hand heading into a decisive Game 6.
One of the biggest stories in this game revolved around the Thunder’s 3-point shooting percentage. It was such an advantage in Game 3’s victory, as they shot 44.7% and 48.1% from the field overall.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs scores a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter in Game Four of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on May 24, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
But the Spurs adjusted their defense, and it showed in Game 4 as the Thunder shot just 6 of 33 from beyond the arc (18%), resulting in only 33% shots made from the field.
San Antonio wasn’t much better, making only 27% of their 3s (9 of 33) and shooting just 39% from the field. However, they were playing aggressively and getting chances at the charity stripe, shooting 32 free throws compared to Oklahoma City’s 18.
2026 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS ODDS, BEST BETS, SERIES SPREAD: SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The aggression was clear from both teams, but it was San Antonio making the best of those moments, and it began in the first quarter.
The Spurs got out to a hot start, owning a nine-point lead after the first quarter and moving it to double digits by halftime to the home crowd’s delight. Then, in the third quarter, the Thunder were struggling to hit shots, as they started to turn the ball over, which the Spurs have capitalized on all season long.
San Antonio scored 25 of its points off the Thunder’s 20 turnovers, and they were finding success in fast-break moments, too.
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle gestures against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of Game 4 in the Western Conference finals NBA playoffs in San Antonio on May 24, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP)
At one point, the Spurs had a 25-point lead, and it’s always sweet for a team to rest its starters in the fourth quarter with a victory in hand.
Victor Wembanyama was back to his efficient ways from the floor, leading the Spurs with 33 points (11 of 22), while nailing three 3-pointers, collecting eight rebounds and dishing five assists. He also had three blocks on the other end.
But Stephon Castle (13 points, three rebounds, six assists), Devin Vassell (13 points, six rebounds, three assists) and De’Aaron Fox (12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) all contributed well in the starting five in the winning effort. The Spurs also had six bench players score, including Dylan Harper, who finished with seven points and five rebounds.
For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a poor shooting night, hitting just six of his 15 shots, though he made all seven of his free throws. He had four rebounds, seven assists and four turnovers for Oklahoma City.
San Antonio Spurs players Stephon Castle, Victor Wembanyama, and Devin Vassell react after a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of Game 4 in the Western Conference finals in San Antonio on May 24, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP)
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As always, the Thunder had solid contributions from its bench, but it wasn’t to their standards. Players like Aaron Wiggins and Jared McCain, pivotal pieces in Game 3’s win, shot a combined 3 of 21 from the field for eight total points.
These two top seeds in the West will battle Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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