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Once upon a time, Mike Tyson was the best boxer on planet Earth, his dominance throughout the 1980s confirming him as a unique talent and giving him a lofty standing in the sport. Even upon his release from prison after serving three years following a rape conviction, Tyson remained one of the most feared fighters around and was still regarded as a legend of the sport.
But at AT&T Stadium on Friday night, Tyson proved powerless in the face of Father Time. Despite a bright start to his much-anticipated bout against 27-year-old Jake Paul, the 58-year-old Tyson returned to the ring after 19 years away and lost to Paul via unanimous decision. The fight's outcome didn't come as a shock to many around boxing -- including Terence Crawford, the reigning WBO welterweight champion.
Crawford rips "trash" Tyson
Crawford, widely regarded as one of the world's best boxers, ed millions more people in watching the Paul-Tyson bout, which wasn't much of a contest after the opening two rounds. The WBA super welterweight champion took to social media to chime in on what he was watching -- and his disappointment in Tyson was obvious.
"To train that long and only throw 97 punches the whole fight is crazy," Craword wrote on X/Twitter. "I'm just glad he didn't get hurt out there."
Indeed, Tyson's intense training videos went viral and sparked plenty of optimism that Iron Mike could topple the brash Paul -- despite the 31-year age gap between the two combatants. But skepticism over Tyson's health never really went away; he suffered an ulcer flare-up in May, and he appeared visibly exhausted late in the Paul bout. After the bell rang to close the eighth and final round, Paul even confirmed to reporters that he was "taking it easy" against Tyson.
But to hear Tyson tell it, he has no regrets about fighting Paul and is unlikely to care about Crawford's criticism. After his medical emergency which required several blood transfusions, Tyson on Saturday proclaimed himself the winner against Paul, after months of hard work saw him get somewhere close to fighting shape.