Retired US professional boxer Mike Tyson (l) and US YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul (r) fight in the heavyweight boxing match at the Pavilion at AT&T Stadium on November 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.
Timothy A. Clary | Afp | Getty Images
The highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson has already secured its place in the record books.
Netflix said 60 million households worldwide watched Jake Paul defeat Mike Tyson, with the event peaking at 65 million streams. The subscription streaming service also said 50 million households watched Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano, making it the most-watched women's professional sporting event in U.S. history.
The fight was also streamed in more than 6,000 bars and restaurants across the U.S., setting the record for the sport's largest commercial distribution.
“The boxing mega-event dominated social media, broke records and even messed with our buffer systems,” Netflix posted on X on Saturday.
The fight's promoter, Most Valuable Promotions, which Paul co-owns, told CNBC that 72,300 people attended Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Dallas Cowboys stadium has a seating capacity of 80,000.
(LR) Mike Tyson, Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul pose on stage during the press conference for the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match at Texas Live! in Arlington, Texas, on May 16, 2024.
Cooper Neill | Getty Images
Ticket revenue for the fight exceeded 18 million, the organizer said.
It was the largest boxing goal in history outside of Nevada. The previous record was $9 million in gate receipts for the fight between Canelo Álvarez and Billy Joe Saunders at AT&T Stadium in 2021.
MVP said the gate was also higher than any UFC fight outside of Las Vegas, with the exception of Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez in New York City in 2016.
The fight dominated the social conversation, with #PaulTyson becoming the number one trending topic on X, formerly Twitter.
It wasn't all good news for Netflix, however. Many viewers experienced buffering issues, streaming glitches, and low-resolution videos that made it impossible for them to watch the fight.
Data from Downdetector showed people reported problems throughout the night, with outages peaking at more than 95,000 around 11 p.m. ET.
MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said on CNBC's “Closing Bell” on Friday that both Tyson and Paul will make eight figures in this fight, and Taylor and Serrano will also make record numbers in women's boxing.
The fight between Paul, a 27-year-old YouTube influencer turned boxer, and Tyson, a 58-year-old boxing legend, aired on Netflix and was free to subscribers.
The event also featured one of the most anticipated women's boxing rematches in history: undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor versus unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano.
Netflix has more than 283 million paid memberships in more than 190 countries. The fight was an important test for the streamer as it moves deeper into sports and boxing bypasses the pay-per-view model.
“Numbers don’t lie,” Paul said at a news conference about the fight on Wednesday. “People want to see this and this is an amazing achievement. … This is a statement that we had the largest live gate outside of Vegas in the history of U.S. boxing.”
Tickets for Friday's fight ranged from about $58 to $1,500 apiece on StubHub. MVP has also sold high-end packages, including a $2 million VIP experience including ringside seating. The advertising company said its 375 VIP seats were sold out.
For comparison: The biggest fight in Las Vegas took place in 2015 between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, this fight cost more than $72 million.
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