No one was surprised by Mike Tyson’s loss to Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Instead, it was disappointment in an aging icon and the commercialism that increasingly overshadows sports.

The crowd of more than 72,000 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, went from excited to angry, eventually booing the arena. They, like the tens of millions watching online, came to the fight for the fame of Mike Tyson , and curious about the heavyweight champion’s return after a 7,097-day layoff. Instead, what they saw was eight boring, two-minute rounds.

The 58-year-old man was still full of energy, but his body no longer obeyed his mind. The legendary “Iron Mike” threw only 18 punches in total, completely outclassed by the 78 that landed on target by his opponent, a YouTuber turned boxer. Worse, Tyson seemed exhausted after just the first round. In the last 5 rounds, he threw only 6 punches. At his peak, Tyson averaged 12.4 punches per round, with extreme power and accuracy.

In a nod to the old days, fans want to see Tyson step into the ring again in a black robe, shorts and boots, then knock out his challenger with his signature hooks. To bolster his belief, heavyweight boxer Roy Jones Jr. said that “Iron Mike” would win because of his class and vast experience.

Alas, it didn’t take long for everyone to realize that Tyson no longer belonged in the present. His time was long gone, nearly three decades ago. Roy Jones Jr.’s glowing words simply exaggerated a fight that should never have happened.

“This is so sad,” former NBA player Earvin “Magic” Johnson wrote on X, “I turned off the TV because I couldn’t watch anymore. It was painful to see Mike Tyson like this because I watched all of his fights. Today’s fight is not a good thing for the sport of boxing.”

“I love Mike Tyson, but the commentators are trying to exaggerate his ability at 58 years old,” said four-division boxing champion Terence Crawford. “He looked like a loser in a crazy fight. I’m glad he wasn’t hurt.”

In fact, Tyson’s opponent, Jake Paul, slowed down his punches, even refraining from going for a knockout, when he noticed the former champion was tired. “I wanted to give the crowd a good show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone who didn’t deserve it,” Paul said.

On the social media front, the AT&T Stadium event was a huge success. According to Paul, the number of concurrent viewers crashed Netflix’s website (Netflix said the fight was viewed 60 million times worldwide). Meanwhile, ticket sales from the live stream brought in $18 million, more than double the previous record of $9 million set by Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders in 2021.

The huge profits encourage organizers to continue to create other fights in the future, turning the ring into a stage and dramatizing the tension of boxing.

The digital age with its commercial element maximized allows organizers to do anything, ignoring the sport element. They also do not feel the slightest bit cruel to push an old man approaching his 60s into the ring, endure punches and receive pity, instead of applause and applause like in the glorious past.

When it was over, Tyson walked straight to his family waiting to console him, skipping the post-fight press conference. The former champion, a living legend of boxing, must have been disappointed. But the $20 million payday helped.

As for the fans, there was little sympathy. They had all paid big money not to see an old icon get beaten up in a poor match.