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Netflix‘s Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson is the entertainment giant’s first foray into the world of live-streamed boxing events. And it arrived with a bang, and a buffer, with three great fights coming down to the wire.
The event featured the main attraction, a steady and overblown fight between Tyson, whose last competitive fight was in June 2005, and YouTuber-turned-prize fighter, Paul. But that wasn’t all that Netflix had to offer with a full-on display of showmanship, with live performances, bells and literal whistles showing how dedicated the company is to live sports on their platform—even working through a plethora of technical issues that had netizens calling for Netflix’s head.
Along with the surprising Paul and Tyson fight, the undercard featured three world-title exhibitions, with names that look to become household names fairly soon. Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos, Shadasia Green vs. Melinda Watpool, and the highly anticipated rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano—a match that is sure to be the subject of controversy for years to come.
As unanimous decisions and illegal headbutts were handed out left and right, the chaotic nature of this first-time event grew increasingly more visible. From unstable Netflix connections and infrastructure to racist dog-whistles, here are 5 of the most unhinged moments from Netflix’s Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson event.
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#CancelNetflix
Image Credit: Tama/Getty Images
Yeah, Netflix hosting live events may not be it, y’all. Netflix’s Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson is its first official foray into the live boxing medium, and it seems like their infrastructure isn’t strong enough to handle this much traffic yet. Netflix went viral about 20 minutes into the event, starting as netizens voiced their complaints about the app crashing, videos buffering and stuttering, freezing, and the resolution dropping from 4K HDR to 360P like it was 2015 again. To make matters worse, the hashtag, “#CancelNetflix,” started trending as a response.
“Netflix better not freeze during the fight. I can’t be the only one! Anyone else having issues watching the fight?” an account frantically typed. “My Netflix is getting bad and starting to buffer. Could a few of you please sign out and watch something else for an hour or two?” another person chimed in. Other folks complained about their Netflix audio desyncing due to the plethora of technical issues and even asserted that Pay Per View showings make a whole lot of sense now.
“Everything about this Netflix production is awful. Buffering and skipping, audio dropping in and out, microphones not working, constant hot mics picking up producers yelling, barely any insight. I now understand why PPVs typically cost so much. You get what you pay for,” someone else detailed.
To be totally honest with y’all: I’m currently watching Serrano and Taylor fight at 10:38 PM EST, and my God, this picture quality is terrible. And to think Netflix has dibs on this year’s NFL Christmas Day games. Lawd, help us.
Griffin/VIBE
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Lennox Lewis Being A Hater
Image Credit: Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024
Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, two men who beat Tyson in his heyday, were invited to speak with commentators. Lewis and Holyfield were asked a series of questions regarding Iron Mike and whether or not Tyson could “handle” the 27-year-old Jake Paul. Sound issues and awkward questions made the segment difficult to watch.
Kate Scott seemingly forgot her questions halfway through the presentation, and Lewis began to take liberty with his answers, taking jabs at Tyson and talking down on the former champion. Scott requested Lewis relay her questions to Holyfield, to which Lewis agreed. Lennox then changed the questions to disparaging inquiries about Tyson, referencing Iron Mike biting Evander Holyfield’s ear during their 1997 bout. Meanwhile, Holyfield couldn’t hear any of the questions and could be seen jamming to the music like an interview wasn’t happening. Just…unhinged.
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1857606497481454051
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AYO???
Image Credit: Carlsen/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024
Things got a little interesting during the fight between Neeraj Goyat and Windersson Nunes. In the third round of the undercard fight, Goyat appeared to be bored with his opponent, mocking and taunting him. As the third round came to a close, Neeraj pulled him into the corner of the ring and began thrusting his pelvis in a humping motion onto the buttocks of Nunes. Commentators Rosie Perez and Roy Jones Jr. were in shock, with Perez exclaiming, “we don’t need to see a replay of that.”
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Mike Tyson’s A**
Image Credit: Setterfield/Getty Image
During a pre-fight interview, Mike Tyson offered insight into his mindset. He bluntly told the reporter that “the talking is over” and “it’s time to fight.” After he hugged and kissed the reporter on the cheek, the camera then followed the boxer through his locker. To the surprise of many, the camera panned out and there was Mike Tyson’s a**. Yep, Uncle Mike’s bare a** cheeks. Of course, this went extremely viral, just as you may expect. Interestingly enough, Netflix didn’t seem to care. The official X/Twitter account took to the platform to make a joke about the situation. “Mike Tyson’s pre-fight interview got real cheeky,” the account intern typed. Yeah, I don’t know what to say, honestly.
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MAGA Speech
Image Credit: Petersen/Getty Images
As if Jake Paul and Mike Tyson‘s boring, over-blown match wasn’t unhinged enough, then Paul decided to give a speech. Celebrating his exhibition, which was nothing more than a glorified sparring match, the content creator hopped on the microphone to make a statement. Paul showed love to Mike Tyson and honored him for “paving the way” for the generation of boxers.
Then, the Ohio native sent a message to the rest of the country, which ended with a very clear declaration: “America is back, baby!”
“Tonights not about me, I want to give thanks to all the real heroes—the US military, the doctors, the nurses, the ER, the cops, the firefighters, the farmers, the truck drivers, all the people who make this world go round,” he said, as people on his team rocked hats that read “Make America Healthy Again”— a reference to Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “It’s the era of truth, it’s the era of good, and there is a shift in the world. And good is rising, and the truth is rising, and I’m just honored to be a part of America.” Yeah, it feels like Kamala Harris lost twice for some reason. Black can’t catch a break.
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