Since it was announced in 2023, the Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson fight sounded ridiculous. It was an officially sanctioned boxing match between a YouTuber and a 58-year-old boxer who was in his prime during the 20th century. Despite this fact, over 65 million people tuned in to this live event, which was available for free on Netflix.

And I was one of them. Like most viewers, although I rolled my eyes at the event, there was no way I would miss it. There was something so unique and bizarre about it that there had to be something more to it. While most observers agreed that the fight would be rigged and even scripted, people tuned in to see how it would play out. And, let’s be frank, many just wanted to see Jake Paul get knocked out by Mike Tyson.

But that’s not what happened at all.

Instead, viewers witnessed Mike Tyson’s thorough humiliation and, on a broader scale, the demolition of his legacy. It wasn’t a fight; it was ritual drama carried out in front of millions. Everyone who watched that fight felt like they’d witnessed something intrinsically wrong. And that was the point.

The entire event was scripted to have Mike Tyson (who looked somewhat out of it and even dissociated) go through ordeals that would shatter his aura of strength and invincibility. In the span of a couple hours, Iron Mike – also known as “the Baddest Man of the Planet” – turned into a weak, elderly, and emasculated man who had to show his naked butt to 62 million viewers for no particular reason.

Sure, he got paid $20 million. But it wasn’t to fight. It was to participate in a mega-ritual.

Scripted to Humiliate

Before the fight, Mike was placed in weird situations where he was sexualized in a somewhat homoerotic fashion.

During the weigh-in, Jake Paul wore pants, while Tyson wore zesty-looking Versace slips.

While being weighed, Tyson oddly grabbed his junk.

The fight took place on November 15th, which happened to coincide with the Beaver Supermoon – a night believed by occultists to be charged with potent magical energy that can be harnessed for rituals.

A weird energy was palpable throughout the live event streamed by Netflix worldwide. Everything about it felt odd as if it took place in an alternate universe where Netflix had the monopoly of “entertainment” and streamed dystopian rituals to the public.

In a way, Mike Tyson was being sacrificed under the watchful eyes of the masses. It began with the show’s most viral moment—one that was quickly reposted by Netflix’s official account.

Mike Tyson’s pre-fight interview got real cheeky. #PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/xPR3L0R9C0

— Netflix (@netflix) November 16, 2024

Every single person who watched this interview wondered what had just happened. It made absolutely no sense. Unless, of course, one understands that it was about humiliating Mike Tyson while creating a short, viral moment that could be easily shared online.

But this “funny” moment was actually extremely sad. Mike Tyson was standing there, butt naked, already looking defeated, while being interviewed by his son Amir. After stating he would win (while knowing very well he would lose in a pitiful matter), he kisses his son, turns around, and reveals his bare butt to the entire world.

It was definitely a full moon that night.

In short, that segment was about sexually humiliating Tyson in front of his son – a father’s nightmare. He was told to wear this garter-like thing, and the cameraman was told to focus on that 58-year-old butt once he turned around.

Iron Mike is being treated like a prostitute.

Meanwhile, Jake Paul was at the opposite end of the spectrum. While Tyson had to walk around butt naked, Paul was draped in the most expensive outfit in sporting history – worth around $1 million.

The back of Paul’s jacket was highly symbolic. Inspired by the Skull and Bones (an elite secret society), the image has some bizarre details. The skull is masked, there’s a fracture at the top of it, and there are scalpels underneath it. In short, this looks like a lobotomized mind-controlled slave.

The entrance of each fighter added to the theatrics.

Jake Paul entered riding an expensive custom truck while wearing an expensive custom suit. It was all about him being crowned as sports entertainment king. The entrance song had Phil Collins asking, “Can you feel it coming in the air tonight?” I could feel it.

Afterward, a sad-looking, confused, and diminished Tyson made his entrance. He knows this is the saddest moment of his career.

When the fight started, something was immediately apparent: Mike Tyson was too old to do this. The crowd’s excitement died after the first round when people realized that Tyson could barely move, let alone throw punches.

To make matters worse, Tyson constantly bit his glove throughout the fight. He looked like a frightened old man who wasn’t mentally well.

The biting was so obvious and worrying that the commentators kept wondering what the issue was. After the fight, Tyson stated he had a “biting fixation.” Whatever it was, it was sad to see.

The farce ended after eight rounds of “boxing,” during which Jake Paul purposely avoided knocking out Tyson (it was probably part of the contract). People booed loudly.

Tyson had to stand there while Jake Paul (of all people) added a rare loss to his official record.

During the post-fight interview, Tyson was asked what was next for him.

Tyson pointed to Jake Paul’s brother Logan and said he might take him on.

Then, Logan looks at him with great contempt and replies:

“Motherf*cker, I’d kill you Mike.”

Faced with this final act of disrespect. The ritual is complete.

In Conclusion

While most people suspected that the Paul vs Tyson fight was rigged, they still tuned in for the show. How satisfying would it have been if Tyson had regained composure after being dominated for several rounds and knocked out Jake Paul with one of his trademark devasting blows? The crowd’s reaction would have been wild, and everyone would have been satisfied.

But that wasn’t in the plans. Jake Paul is, sadly enough, the future of boxing. He could not lose this fight. Quite to the contrary, Mike Tyson – the most vicious fighter of the last century – had to pass the torch to a new generation where the punches do not count as much as social media virality.

Even in his prime, Mike Tyson was never in the industry’s good graces. He’s one of those black celebrities who came out of prison thoroughly changed and probably traumatized by something awful. The industry needed him to participate in this circus, but there was a price to pay for it: his pride, dignity, and legacy. Let’s hope he still has his soul.

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