What happens when you throw Mike Tyson, the most feared heavyweight of all time, into the ring with Jake Paul, a 27-year-old YouTuber who’s spent more time pranking than punching?

You get a boxing match so absurd it felt scripted—and a moment so ridiculous it broke the internet.

Forget punches. The first knockout came before the fight even began when Tyson, mid-interview, decided to moon the camera in a backless jockstrap.

Yes, Iron Mike gave Netflix’s 60 million viewers a view they didn’t pay for. “Mike Tyson’s viscous butt cheeks on my screen, Netflix what is going on!!!” one bewildered fan asked, while another complained, “After sitting through all that buffering and fuzzy frustrating Netflix stream the only thing that was super clear all night was Mike Tyson’s butt cheeks.”

Music’s heavyweights couldn’t stay away, either. That included Drake, whose wallet took a bigger hit than anyone in the ring. Betting $355,000 on Tyson at +285 odds, he was dreaming of a million-dollar payout. Instead, Jake Paul punched his dreams to dust, proving the Drake Curse is alive and well.

Juicy J also seemed to cop a loss, posting to X, “Who lost money?” before adding in follow-up posts, “Rematch? That’s was a tie.”

Tyson entered to “Murdergram” by Jay-Z, Ja Rule, and the late DMX, ready to rumble. Paul, shockingly, boxed like he’d done this before, while Tyson fought with flashes of old-school grit—plus nearly 20 years of retirement showing. The judges handed Paul the win (80-72, 79-73, 79-73), leaving Paul with a rumoured $40 million, Tyson with $20 million, and the internet with enough memes to last a lifetime.

Celebs didn’t hold back from weighing in on the spectacle, with American rapper Freddie Gibbs posted along with a photo sitting beside Tyson with the caption, “F** that fight. Still the goat.”

“They set Unc up ….,” Meek Mill tweeted, while Trump-supporting rap artist Lil Pump added,”RESPECT TO JAKE PAUL F*CK ALL THESE HATERS THIS KID DID HIS SH*T,”

Babyface Ray simply commented, “Mike old as hell man.”

The Game dropped the mic with his defence of Tyson, writing: “I see all these weird celebrities saying Mike looked bad, this was sad & disgusting etc… yall goofy. I saw a 58-year-old legend go 8 rounds with a 27-year-old in front of the world in a sold out football stadium n walk away with 20 million dollars, his dignity & yet another achievement he said was only for HIM. I’m proud of you champ !!!!” Say what you will about the fight, but The Game’s got a point.

Netflix’s debut in live boxing was as chaotic as the match itself, plagued by buffering issues and Tyson’s unexpected “behind-the-scenes” moment. Honestly? It felt more like a Black Mirror episode than a sporting event.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine