The dust has finally settled on last Friday’s historic boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, and now we know that the bout broke several betting records at one prominent Ontario sportsbook.
“The Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight is the most-bet combat sport (boxing + MMA) in BetMGM history. Paul winning was a good outcome for the sportsbook,” BetMGM Senior Trader Alex Rella revealed to Canada Sports Betting in an email release.
In addition to being the most-bet combat sport ever, BetMGM says the fight attracted three times as many bets as any other combat event in the sportsbook’s history and four times the money.
Some of the most-bet props included Mike Tyson to win via KO/TKO or DQ (+250), Tyson to win on points (+1100), and Tyson to win Round 1 (+1400).
Paul scored a merciful unanimous decision (80-72, 79-73, 79-73) victory over the 58-year-old Tyson in what was a snoozefest of a boxing match aside from the first round when Tyson showed some flashes of his younger, dominant self. Tyson appeared heavily fatigued for the remainder of the fight, which is understandable given his age and recent medical issues. Earlier this year, Tyson experienced a serious ulcer flare-up that postponed the fight until November after it was originally scheduled for July 20.
Regardless, the action at online sportsbooks leading up to the fight was robust and mainly one-sided on Tyson in many betting markets. Paul opened with -275 odds to win the fight, and Tyson closed at around +190 just prior to the bout at most online sportsbooks.
The sanctioned fight had modified rules, allowing two-minute rounds instead of the customary three-minute allocations. Both boxers also wore 14-ounce gloves instead of 10-ounce gloves that are typically used for heavyweight fights. The bigger gloves are considered safer because they absorb more impact.
Paul improved his professional boxing record to 11-1 with seven knockouts, while Iron Mike fell to to 50-7 professionally with 44 knockouts.
Netflix said roughly 60 million households streamed the fight, but unfortunately, many experienced technical issues that ruined the viewing experience.
