Boxing puts Arlington on the global stage.

The much-hyped boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson occurred Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Met with equal parts fascination, excitement, and criticism, it was one of the year’s most talked about sporting events. The fight was shown exclusively on Netflix, instead of pay-per-view or cable, and it was their first foray into streaming live boxing. Fans watched the fight worldwide, putting Arlington on the global stage.

Paul vs. Tyson—fight promo

Over 70,000 people packed inside AT&T Stadium to watch the event. Celebrities attended, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott sat ringside. Ticket sales of over $18 million were record-setting, producing the most substantial U.S. boxing revenue outside of Las Vegas. Netflix reported that over 60 million households and thousands of bars and restaurants streamed the event globally, making its total viewership towards the top of the all-time watched sporting events. (However, Netflix suffered from technical issues with widespread glitches in delivering the live broadcast.)

Forbes.com reported: “From a pure impressions and visibility standpoint, the #PaulTyson hashtag was the No. 1 trending topic globally on Friday.” The event was covered extensively in local and national media—by tabloids, journalists, and sports analysts alike—and discussed and later dissected at length on social media. It resulted in a rare and explosive pop culture wave that ravenously captured the interest of the masses.

Part of the appeal was the stark, polarizing differences between the fighters. Jake Paul, age 27, is a YouTuber-turned-boxer and a popular social media personality. Mike Tyson, age 58, is a former heavyweight boxing champion, utterly ferocious in his prime and known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet.” Despite their age difference, which was highly consternated and criticized, both fighters had their advantages—mainly in Paul’s youth and Tyson’s experience. Their fighting records were also factors: Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) and Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs.)

While many people wanted to see Mike Tyson pummel Jake Paul into smithereens, myself included, the powerful punches and highlight-reel montages were limited. Many felt that neither boxer gave the maximum effort. Although the fight went the full eight rounds and had some memorable moments, it was seen as lackluster overall, with Paul defeating Tyson via unanimous decision. (If a boxing match isn’t won with a knockout, the judges score the fight to determine the winner.) Few people were expecting to see that outcome. Some of the night’s earlier fights proved more exciting, though, with plenty of action, especially Katie Taylor versus Amanda Serrano and Mario Barrios versus Abel Ramos.

Nonetheless, the event was an economic juggernaut for Arlington. The Arlington CVB expected the event to have a $10 million impact on the city, with visitors spending money on bars, restaurants, and hotel rooms, which were in hot demand and priced accordingly. Netflix reserved 400 rooms at the new Loews Arlington Hotel & Convention Center, with the other 400 rooms going quickly. Other hotels likely neared capacity as well. The Arlington CVB also said that the data from the event—where people came from, how long they stayed, and what else they did while in town—will help plan future events, especially the World Cup soccer tournament in 2026.

Boxing is a big draw at AT&T Stadium, with Arlington hosting several high-profile matches since 2010. Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Álvarez, and other notable pugilists have headlined bouts at the stadium.

Although the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight had its share of criticism, the event should be considered a knockout win for Arlington. And for a brief moment, maybe it was the distraction we all needed.

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Blog post by Jason S. Sullivan, 11-18-24