Mike Tyson releases emotional statement explaining why it felt he 'won' fight against Jake Paul

Mike Tyson has issued a statement saying it feels like he 'still won' in his fight with Jake Paul despite the result going the other way by unanimous decision.

The 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer took the win over the 58-year-old Tyson, though it wasn't exactly the greatest of spectacles for those who stuck on Netflix to watch it.

The judges gave the first two rounds to Tyson, who seemed to run out of steam afterwards and perhaps demonstrates why someone might have the deck stacked against them if fighting an opponent less than half their age.

In the course of the fight, Paul threw 278 punches, landing 78 of them, while Tyson threw 97 and landed just 18 of them.

It was not quite the spectacle some boxing fans had been hoping for, though many of them were sated by the fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, which had preceded it.

Now that the fight is done and dusted, it's been a lucrative endeavour for both boxers, with Paul thought to have made around $40m (£31.1m) and Tyson taking home about half that amount.

In the aftermath of the fight, Tyson took to social media to say why he still felt like a winner despite the result going against him, mentioning the health scare he had earlier this year which resulted in the fight being postponed.

The 58-year-old wrote: "This is one of those situations when you lost but still won. I’m grateful for last night. No regrets to get in ring one last time.

"I almost died in June. Had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won.

"To have my children see me stand toe to toe and finish 8 rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy stadium is an experience that no man has the right to ask for. Thank you."

By the end of the fight it became apparent that Paul was not going as hard on Tyson as he could have been, as he declined to go for a knockout and in the final seconds even bowed to his opponent before time was up.

Paul said he'd noticed Tyson had been tiring and decided he 'didn't want to hurt someone that didn't need to be hurt'.

In the documentary Countdown: Paul vs Tyson, the boxer admitted that he'd been throwing up blood and when he got medical attention 'asked the doctor if I was going to die, and she didn't say no'.

This is one of those situations when you lost but still won. I’m grateful for last night. No regrets to get in ring one last time.

I almost died in June. Had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won.

To…

— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) November 16, 2024

As a result of the fight, both Paul and Tyson were suspended from boxing for 24 days so they can fully recover from it rather than step into the ring again and do themselves any more harm.

If Netflix is going to do more boxing events then they might want to avoid a repeat of the technical issues which plagued the broadcast and left a whole bunch of people struggling to watch it.