Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Reported to Be Most Bet-on Fight in Combat Sports History

The hype for the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight was beyond the pale, and sports betting operators from all over the world are reporting record-setting betting.

Jake Paul’s a Draw

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is a ratings magnet, and his polarizing personality attracts viewers and bettors alike, many of whom tune in and get down just to watch him lose. Unfortunately for them, Paul has suffered only one defeat in his pseudo-boxing career, a split decision loss to the only active professional boxer he’s faced, Tommy Fury.

But his controversial bout against former heavyweight king Mike Tyson was compelling for a host of reasons, chief among them the opportunity to see Tyson, at 58, get into the ring with an accomplished boxer more than half his age. The receipts have been tabulated, and records of all kinds were broken.

“Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight is the most-bet combat sport (boxing and MMA) in BetMGM history. Paul winning was a good outcome for the sportsbook,” said Alex Rella, Senior Trader at BetMGM.

Popular Bets

The top three most popular outcomes in terms of dollar amounts were as follows: Tyson by KO/TKO or DQ (+250) was the most widely bet prop, while Tyson winning by decision (+1100) was second, followed by Tyson to win in Round 1 (+14/1).

Tyson was competitive in the first two rounds but had little left in the tank after that. By the end of the eight-round fight, he was hanging on, and Paul, who was well in front of the judge’s scorecards, appeared to be carrying him, not wanting to knock out his childhood hero.

It was reported that 67% of the bets and 53% of the money were on Tyson. Sportsbooks also reported the number of bets on the Paul-Tyson fight was 3x higher than that of the next-highest fight.

Jake Paul is box office gold for those who broadcast his fights and the sportsbooks that offer his bouts on their betting menus. “Jake Paul’s fights average 17x more bets and 13x higher handle per event than standard boxing events,” said Patrick Jay, ESPN BET‘s Senior Vice President and Head of Sportsbook. “Compared to Championship boxing events, Jake Paul fights take in an average of 2.5x more bets and 2.5x higher handle.”

Netflix Bombs Broadcast

It was a live-streaming broadcast of buffering and frustration, inciting a blizzard of social media fury aimed at Netflix, the home of the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight.

“Imagine if you could watch this on the stream service you pay for monthly, oh wait it’s too busy buffering or having no sound,” wrote one angry user.

“Did we go back in time to 2010?” another fan posted.

“HUGE FAILURE! YOU ARE FIRED! REFUNDS!” wrote another user.

Even Donald Trump Jr. shared his frustration, writing on X: “So I sat for 3 hours with my kids trying to watch @MikeTyson v @jakepaul and Netflix is now glitching so hard I feel like it’s the mid 90s where it’s taking 25 minutes to load a basic picture. Ugh.”

Netflix will get a chance at redemption when it televises an NFL doubleheader on Christmas featuring the Chiefs at Steelers in the 1:00 PM ET game and the Ravens at Texans beginning at 4:30 PM ET.