'It's stupid but I'll watch it': Why Tyson's Netflix brawl is a big box office hit | Boxing

TThe trailer for Netflix's latest multimillion-dollar project opens with a dramatic drum beat, the slap of a glove on the pad, and a familiar Brooklyn style. “He’s an artificial killer,” says Mike Tyson, almost with cartoon relish. “I’m a born killer.”

The camera then cuts to the man he will face in the early hours of Saturday morning UK time, influencer Jake Paul. “We're going to war,” predicts Paul, who made his fortune filming pranks like “I sank my friend's car and surprised him with a new one” before turning to boxing, even more lucratively. “And he passes out.”

Forget the fact that Tyson is 58 years old and hasn't fought professionally since retiring against Kevin McBride almost 20 years ago. Or that 27-year-old Paul is a relative newcomer who lost to them Love Island star Tommy Fury last year. More than 60,000 fans are expected to flock to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to watch the fight in person, with millions more streaming it online.

But as the two men prepare to face off over eight two-minute rounds in exchanges rumored to be worth more than $20 million (£15.5 million) each, the questions linger heavily in the Texas air. Is this just a creepy pantomime? Or should it be seen as a harbinger of what lies ahead? And what's even more interesting: why is Netflix throwing millions into this meeting of the old world of boxing with its new YouTube version? Especially when almost everyone in the sport believes it's a terrible idea.

Barry McGuigan, who was in his prime 40 years ago, sums up the unrest in boxing particularly well. “I’m 63 and Tyson is only five years behind me,” he tells the observer. “The idea that he'll box any guy, even if he's just an ordinary person, is just wrong at that age. You are your reputation. That's what people remember. And I remember Mike Tyson as a wrecking machine.

“He was truly one of the most dangerous heavyweights to ever wear gloves. There is no doubt about that. And I don't want people 20 years from now to say, 'Oh, that's that guy who got into a fight with that YouTuber.'”

McGuigan is generous to Paul, saying he can “obviously do a bit of boxing”. But that makes the risks even greater for him. “A 58-year-old man shouldn’t be fighting,” he added. “He just shouldn’t do it. At this age, impact resistance inevitably decreases. And even though we see all these clips of Tyson hitting the pads, it's not real. What really matters is fighting good opponents and seeing what you look like. Given his age, you can be sure he won’t.”

Adam Kelly, media president at global sports marketing agency IMG, offers a completely different perspective. Kelly acknowledges there are doubters, but predicts Tyson vs. Paul “has the potential to break some of the best ratings of all time and become one of the most watched boxing matches of all time.”

Those are strong words, and they carry even more weight considering Kelly was part of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor promotion in 2017, which was a pay-per-view hit and paved the way for other crossover matches. In his current role, he also regularly speaks to major sports, organizations and broadcasters such as Netflix about what sports could look like in the future.

For Kelly, this fight is part of the next iteration of how we will watch sports. The first came through commercial television and advertising. The second from pay TV. This third wave is being driven by Netflix, Amazon, Apple and Google with YouTube.

“Sports is an important part of the attention economy, and these people are the most effective at converting attention into profit,” he says. “So what they do better than existing providers is monetize the audience every time they watch.”

“Tyson vs. Paul” is effectively the opening salvo for Netflix before broadcasting live NFL Christmas Day games, World Wrestling Entertainment events next year and potential live sports in the future. So how can companies like Netflix and Amazon compete with Sky's monthly fees or high pay-per-view fees? “I think one of the challenges the sport faces is that direct fan monetization is kind of maxed out, to use an MMA phrase,” Kelly says. “But in the attention economy, where sport plays a key role, there are many other ways engagement and audiences can translate into revenue for companies.

“For example, can Amazon convert attention to sports into additional retail opportunities and drive even more money into its online shopping? And can Netflix expand and improve its already significant and growing advertising platform?”

Kelly points out that Netflix is ​​heading toward 300 million households with its total subscriber base and reaching over 50 million households with its ad-supported, lower-cost offering. “And in terms of their revenue, they believe those numbers have significant growth potential, and they will ultimately provide a different model than simply charging sports fans more money, while at the same time bringing more revenue and more revenue into the sport “, he says.

“The same goes for the other big tech companies. And when you put these elements together, you can begin to see something that is not an aberration. It’s more of an upcoming trend.”

“I think we'll look back on this and think, 'Well, this is the moment Netflix caught fire in sports,'” he adds. “They’re really pushing it. And I think it will be one of the biggest fights ever broadcast.”

Many in boxing remain skeptical. Promoter Eddie Hearn criticized the fight, calling it “dangerous, irresponsible and disrespectful to boxing”, and ticket sales were said to have been slow. While McGuigan also fears the worst when the fight begins. “I hope it’s right and not some choreographed nonsense,” he says. “And I hope it’s real. But if Tyson had beaten Jake Paul in his 20s, he would have put him in the hospital for a week. Not now because he’s an old man.”

However, as Kelly points out, there were plenty of critics even before Mayweather's fight against McGregor. “Boxing fans will tell you that McGregor was a terrible boxer, but I was there in Vegas and it was exciting and people went for the fight in every way,” he says. “I think it will be similar.

“With this fight we were able to bring together these two superstars from very different audiences. It was the biggest global pay-per-view boxing event of all time [behind only Mayeather v Manny Pacquiao] And it started a trend where you saw the outsiders, the influencers – people like Logan Paul, Jake Paul, KSI and others – and started to realize that a lot of people would pay to experience a different kind of event.”

Make no mistake, things will be no different when Tyson returns to the ring. Some will tune in hoping to see the former heavyweight champion pull off one final, shocking knockout. Others because Netflix's algorithm has drawn them in, or because they are simply curious about what will happen next. As one commenter on the official trailer on YouTube put it: “Is this stupid? Yes. Will I watch? Yes.” The reaction that followed suggested that many others felt the same way.