1 week Ago
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight at AT&T Stadium on Friday night was a hotly anticipated affair that, um, didn't quite live up to the hype . The fight *technically* wasn't free to watch, but anyone with a Netflix subscription could tune in to watch see the fight.
Not bad, considering the cost of a Netflix subscription is far less than what high-profile boxing pay-per-views have historically cost. (That didn't stop people from complaining about buffering issues during the livestream , though.) Somewhat less clear was how much Tyson and Paul earned for the fight.
Neither side, nor Netflix, have officially disclosed how much the fighters are getting paid. But a hint here or there, some analysis from boxing experts and a look at the recent payouts for major fights can give us a rough idea. Reports have indicated that Paul was getting $40 million just for getting in the ring, and that Tyson was set to take home $20 million of his own.
Paul mentioned the $40 million in a previous press conference -- and then offered to bet his purse at the pre-fight press conference this week. "I'm here to make $40 million and knock out a legend," Paul said at a press conference in August. USA Today reported that boxing industry experts estimated Tyson's take-home to be $20 million, although Tyson didn't confirm that number when he was being interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel earlier this year.
We've seen massive boxing payouts before -- most memorably in 2017, when UFC star Conor McGregor got in the ring with boxing great Floyd Mayweather. The Telegraph reported that McGregor earned $30 million for that fight, while Mayweather took home $100 million. Granted, both of those fighters were active pros, and roughly in their prime.
The Tyson vs. Paul fight was a much different scenario -- but still plenty lucrative for all involved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
