Some may be disappointed with the professional expectations from the match between Mike Tyson and YouTuber Jake Paul on November 16. But those who understand the story know that this match is not related to professional.
Tyson, who was once the terror of all opponents, returned to the official ring for the first time in nearly 20 years (2005). At the age of 58, with many previous appearances and a very problematic image of health, the match with an opponent 31 years younger in Texas, USA, could not be expected to be professional.
“I want to give the fans a show, but I don't want to hurt someone who shouldn't be hurt,” Jake said after the press conference when asked if he was going easy on Tyson.
If Jake wanted to, he could have knocked out “Iron Mike” in just a few rounds, but the American legend still “stood” after 8 rounds (each round lasted 2 minutes). Most people realized that the “performance” of the two boxers served only one purpose – entertainment. Wasn’t it? Jake won the fight and went home with 40 million USD, while Tyson received 20 million USD.
Pay attention to the numbers. It is the result of the combination of Jake - a youtuber, an actor, a boxer, with the legendary reputation of Tyson. Willing to give 2 competitors such a huge amount of money after just a few dozen minutes of fighting and "dance-like" punches, of course, the organizers have earned a large amount of money from the great interest of rich names, from fans, and even those who watch just out of... curiosity.
Another legendary moment was in the final seconds of the match, Jake stopped, clasped his hands, bowed his head and showed respect to Tyson. The referee was a bit confused at that time and many people thought Tyson would take advantage of it to launch a decisive punch. But no, "The most badass man on the planet" - one of Tyson's nicknames, also stopped, approached and hugged his opponent...
In sports, sometimes just exploiting an angle to emphasize the entertainment factor is enough to create a big event, have great appeal and receive huge revenue. That is what Vietnamese sports should learn. Sports economics is there!
