The late Muhammed Ali would have been ‘mortified’ to see what a 58-year-old Mike Tyson earned to lose to 27-year-old Jake Paul in Texas on Friday.
Tyson has not revealed any figure, it has been reported that he would be pocketing in the range of $20million (£15.77m) for fighting eight two-minute rounds. Paul, meanwhile, was said to earn $40m (£31.55) from the fight against Iron Mike, who last fought in a professional boxing fight 19 years ago.
“Boxers didn’t make money, like you know, Tyson’s making,” Rasheda Ali Walsh, Ali’s daughter, told Fox News‘ Neil Cavuto. “And daddy would have been excited he made that kind of money.”
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Ali – born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. – would have been excited to an extent, however.
“Daddy would have been mortified,” she continued. “Because back then, boxers didn’t really make that much. They were fighting for their lives, and I think as my dad started to make boxing more entertaining, that’s when people came on board and how boxers started to, after my dad, make a lot of money.”
Ali’s biggest payday came at the end of his career when he took home $7.9m (£6.23m) for his defeat to Larry Holmes in 1980. Although Ali’s difficult relationship with money has been widely reported, he made $57m (£44.96m) in prize money from his glittering career.
As for the main event itself, Tyson was defeated via a points decision with Paul claiming the 11th win of his professional career since making his debut against AnEsonGib in January 2020.
Speaking after the fight, Paul said: “I was trying to hurt him a little bit. I was scared he was going to hurt me, I was trying to hurt him…”
Meanwhile, asked if it was the last time he would be seen in a ring, Tyson said: “I don’t know. It depends on the situation. I don’t think so.”
When asked who a future opponent could be, Tyson pointed out Paul’s brother Logan in the ring. The former world heavyweight champion also said he was “absolutely happy” with his performance. “I knew (Paul) was a good fighter,” Tyson said. “I didn’t prove nothing to anyone, just myself. I’m not one of these guys who goes out to please the world, I’m just happy with what I can do.”
