NEW YORK — Jake Paul’s lackluster victory over 58-year-old Mike Tyson still delivered massive viewership numbers, according to data released by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) following Friday night’s Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight card on Netflix.
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The highly publicized event, held at AT&T Stadium in Texas, set several new records for both streaming and live attendance despite widespread technical issues that left fans frustrated.
Massive Netflix Audience: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson
MVP reported that an average of 60 million households tuned in live to watch the main event, with peak viewership reaching 65 million. These numbers suggest the fight may have become one of Netflix’s most-watched live events.
Katie Taylor’s controversial victory over Amanda Serrano on the undercard also drew significant attention, reportedly attracting nearly 50 million households.
These impressive figures came despite major technical issues that disrupted the live stream.
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Streaming Woes Spark Outrage
The outage-tracking platform Downdetector.com reported that some viewers in the United States experienced interruptions lasting up to six hours. At its peak, over 90,000 users reported problems with Netflix during the broadcast.
Fans took to social media to vent their frustrations over buffering, poor image quality, and error messages. The hashtag #unwatchable trended on X (formerly Twitter), with users expressing their disappointment.
- “Netflix is scamming everyone into watching a fight they have no idea how to support technically,” one critic posted.
- Another user quipped: “Nothing like Netflix bringing the country back together after a divisive election. Seems we’re all on the same side tonight.”
The technical glitches extended to the broadcast team as well. Host Kate Scott was overheard asking, “Where are we?” as she struggled to communicate with the production team. Former heavyweight champions Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, who were part of the commentary desk, also faced difficulties hearing each other.
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Record-Breaking Live Gate
While technical issues plagued the livestream, they had no impact on the event’s financial success.
Promoters revealed that Tyson-Paul generated over $17.8 million at the gate, making it the largest boxing box-office success in the United States outside of Las Vegas. The event nearly doubled the previous Texas record, set in 2021 when Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defeated Billy Joe Saunders at the same venue.
With 70,000 attendees filling AT&T Stadium, the fight card also registered the second-highest gate for any U.S. combat sporting event outside of Las Vegas, trailing only a 2016 UFC bout between Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez in New York.
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Looking Ahead
Despite the controversy, Jake Paul and MVP have proven their ability to draw enormous crowds and viewership numbers. The question remains whether Netflix can address the technical issues before the next live broadcast to ensure fans get the seamless experience they expect.
For now, Tyson-Paul has cemented its place in combat sports history as one of the most-watched and highest-grossing events of all time.
