First things first: if you are looking for anything approaching a deep dive into the lives of Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, Netflix’s 3-part docuseries Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson is not that series. Based on the first two episodes (episode three will be available to stream on November 12), it’s clear that Countdown is a superficial, thumbnail sketch of both men. While no one should be surprised by the formulaic overview the series provides of Paul and Tyson before their fight on Friday, November 15, the series serves as nothing more than a glossy box-checking activity.
Even at just 80 minutes, the first two episodes feel bloated and stretching to fill time. That’s not to say that the production values aren’t top-notch, and the direction isn’t fast-paced enough to effectively make this time-killer kill time, but that’s about the end of my faint praise for the series. Whether the show covers Tyson or Paul, it plays like a greatest hits album of their achievements. Of course, as an athlete, Tyson is far more accomplished, and Paul has proven himself to be one of the best self-promoters in the world.
The problem is that every historical bit of information shared about Tyson is just a collection of well-known facts. He grew up tough; he took the heavyweight division by storm, fell apart after his trainer died, lost to Buster Douglas, went to jail (although the series never tells you he was convicted of rape—a chicken sh*t move), returned to boxing, embarrassed himself multiple times down the stretch run of his boxing career, and he loves pigeons. These facts have all been well covered in productions far superior to this one.
There is some interest in seeing the modern-day Tyson working his body into tip-top shape, and there are some sweet moments with his daughter, a budding tennis star. But if Tyson’s part of the series feels redundant, Paul’s is flat-out boring.
Paul’s success is undeniable and, on some perverse level, fascinating. For a guy who seems to know very few words other than “f*ck” and got his start as a C-level Johnny Knoxville influencer, he has proven to be an extraordinary marketer. I may not understand how such a dull person draws this much attention, but not everything is for me. Jake Paul? Not for me.
The miss here in the series is for people like myself who may have some morbid curiosity about a 58-year-old former champion fighting a 28-year-old cosplay boxer, is that there isn’t even the slightest effort made to help the viewer understand what makes Paul tick. A fact that only perpetuates the notion that there is no there…there. It’s like Paul won some kind of lottery for acting a fool. Then again, in this day and age, acting a fool can lead to the presidency, so who am I to say?
As far as the odds on what will happen during this (God help us all) sanctioned fight between a man just four years from collecting social security (if that benefit still exists in four years) and a guy less than half the other guy’s age, that’s a mystery. I’m sure that the open question of the outcome is what’s drawing eyes.
Tyson is in fantastic shape for his age, but “for his age” carries much weight in that sentence. I do not doubt that Tyson has the power to hurt Paul (maybe even severely), but the thirty-year age discrepancy with Paul and a recent issue with a bleeding ulcer leave Tyson at a notable age and wear-and-tear disadvantage.
Jake Paul has only fought one professional boxer in the ring (Tyson Fury’s brother, Tommy), and he lost that bout in a split decision. Paul is an excellent athlete, has real power in his right hand, and has added a lot of weight to his formerly slight frame. Maybe too much weight, as his love handles may attest, but he does look like a real heavyweight. At the same time, looks can be deceiving. Paul has only been boxing for four years, and his success in the ring is largely a byproduct of hype and intelligent matchmaking against opponents that, Fury aside, aren’t real boxers.
Fighting Tyson at his advanced age isn’t going to tell us much about Paul unless he loses. Were it not for the money, I’d call this a no-win proposition for Paul. If he wins, he beats up an old man. If he loses, well, he gets beat up by an old man. But hey, there is the money, right? And I’m sure once all the Netflix bucks are counted, both men will be significantly enriched.
At one point in the series, someone states that Paul vs. Tyson is the boxing event of the year. That’s a depressing thought that happens to be true. The engine of boxing is Paul’s novelty and not the greatness of Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue, or Canelo Alvarez. Like it or not, Paul is the face of boxing. It’s a shite state of affairs, but an undeniable one.
Tyson and Paul will have some sort of event on Friday night. Just before the two of them engage, Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor will meet in a rematch where Serrano will try to avenge her controversial split-decision loss to Taylor in 2022. Paul is promoting Serrano/Taylor 2, so he will win twice on November 15, even if he loses in the ring. He’ll get a big payday for fighting Tyson and promoting the most significant female fight of the year. Serrano/Taylor should be the only fight that matters on Friday night, but here we are, eyes focused on faded glory versus no glory at all.
While I can’t make sense of Paul’s appeal, there can be no denying its existence. No one has ever made themselves a more significant attraction by doing so little of importance. Who knows? Maybe someday he’ll run for president. He might even win.
One thing I’ve learned during my lifetime is not everything has to make sense to be true. Just look at the duck-billed platypus. Paul is the boxing version of that confounding creature. Not even Ice-T’s authoritative narration of Countdown can convince me this fight is more than a ghoulish spectacle. Had me my druthers, I would much rather listen to Ice explain how the platypus came to be.
Make no mistake about it: boxing belongs to Jake Paul. What a weird f*cking planet we live on.
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
