Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight draws record betting for a combat sports event

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jake Paul's unanimous victory over former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson might have been disappointing from a competitive standpoint, but it drew record betting. BetMGM said the fight between the YouTube star and the 58-year-old Tyson, who showed his age by being a sitting target, was its most-bet boxing or mixed-martial arts fight. The sportsbook took three times the number of bets and four times the money of any combat sport in BetMGM's history. Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading at Caesars Sportsbook, said the fight was on par with an NFL Monday night game. "We knew there would be tremendous interest in the fight, as the betting suggested it was a generational matchup in customer demographics," Mucklow said. "Those old enough to remember a prime Mike Tyson got to live the nostalgia one last time, while those not old enough to know Iron Mike were firmly on the Jake Paul side of the counter." DraftKings sports operations director Johnny Avello said the fight also was its most-bet boxing match. "The bettors were yearning for Tyson to return to the ring even at 58 years old, and wanted to be a part of this moment with one of the icons of the sport," Avello said. "We'll see who Jake Paul fights next, but his matches have proven to create immense buzz and unprecedented action on our platforms." The amount of betting can't necessarily be used to draw a direct comparison with betting on big fights in the past since so many major bouts, including Tyson's biggest fights, occurred before sports betting was legalized beyond Nevada in 2018. It's still not legal in 38 states. But the fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, still drew an enormous handle. Most of the wagers at BetMGM Sportsbook were on proposition bets, with the most popular being on Tyson to prevail either by knockout, decision or a first-round KO. Though Paul was a -175 favorite, 67% of the tickets and 53% of the money at BetMGM was on Tyson. "Paul winning was a good outcome for the sportsbook," BetMGM senior trader Alex Rella said.