The fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson ended in victory for the 27-year old influencer. Data from YouGov Behavioural shows that some 5.2 million UK viewers tuned in to watch the fight live: quite something for an event broadcast at 4am.
But what did boxing fans think of the contest?
A new YouGov Surveys poll shows that, of 1,821 boxing fans, 37% watched the fight in some form or another: 14% stayed up until 4am to watch it live on Netflix, 12% watched it after its original broadcast, 19% caught highlights, and 2% used a third-party stream.
The fight was in an uncommon situation for the sport, as it was broadcast on a streaming service – as part of the subscription package – rather than as a pay-per-view match. Perhaps just as well: just 8% of fans said they would have paid to watch the match specifically (rising to 17% of fans who had purchased pay per view boxing in the past).
What do boxing fans think of the two competitors?
Paul may have won the fight, but Tyson handily beats him in a popularity contest.
Just 7% of British boxing fans have a favourable opinion of Jake Paul, with 55% having an unfavourable opinion. By contrast, some 44% have good opinion of Mike Tyson – who went to prison for rape and was once disqualified from a world title rematch for biting off part of his opponent’s ear – and just 27% view him negatively.
Boxing fans don’t think the fight made either combatant’s reputation better, with 53% saying it made no impact in this regard – although they’re more likely to think it burnished Tyson’s legacy (26%) than Paul’s (16%).
By 60% to 24%, they also don’t think it was a particularly fair fight. This may not help with broader perceptions that influencer-led boxing is a malign force in the sport: 68% say it has been bad for boxing, and just 12% say it has been good.
Nevertheless, we also asked fans who they’d like to see Paul fight next. Some 28% would see him take on Tyson Fury, 21% say Anthony Joshua, 17% Usyk, 15% Conor McGregor, and 11% Carl Froch and Daniel Dubois. Another 9% want him to have a rematch with Tommy Fury, and 8% would see him take on Canelo Alvarez.
