Following the overwhelming success of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight on Nov. 15, Netflix is developing a Tyson docuseries that will chronicle the life of the controversial boxer. Tyson vs. Paul was the most-streamed sporting event in history, watched - according to Netflix - by 108 million people around the globe. Tyson would ultimately go on to lose to Paul by unanimous decision after eight rounds.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix is once more getting into bed with Tyson for the three-part docuseries, which is being directed by Floyd Russ with the full cooperation of the 58-year-old megastar. Per the official logline, the series will trace Tyson's life, including his "incarceration and widely publicized struggles," to his eventual "redemption." We're not really sure how anyone can be redeemed from being convicted of sexual assault and being registered as a Tier II sex offender under federal law, but there you have it.
Related Denzel Washington Gives a Blunt Response to Mike Tyson & Jake Paul Fight
Denzel Washington appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote Gladiator II and ended up speaking about Mike Tyson.
Posts
Despite his potential bias toward having his own docsueries made about his life as a treat for participating in the boxing match with Paul - for which he earned an estimated $20 million dollars - Tyson said in a statement today that he'll remain an objective observer throughout the process. "Having an opportunity to share my story through the reflective lens of my growth and maturity in a multi-part documentary on Netflix will be a challenging journey, yet a very welcoming one," he said, before adding:
"Most people are too scared to look at their lives objectively, wanting to paint themselves as the hero of their own story. But if we are truly objective, we know we can never be the hero in our own story. We have to be able to face the man in the mirror, taking the good with the bad to give a full account of our contributions in this life. Netflix is the perfect platform to tell my story because of their global reach."
Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul Was Big Business for Netflix
Despite the obvious glitches which left many people who viewed the Tyson vs. Paul fight in the lurch - leading to one person filing a lawsuit - their battle was an overwhelming success for Netflix, who will further expand into live sports with the debut of WWE's Monday Night Raw on Jan. 6, 2025.
According to new data released by Antenna, the boxing match led to 1.43 million new subscribers to Netflix, though it remains to be seen how many of those canceled their accounts after the underwhelming performance that was mired in technical difficulties. Let's be honest, Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano was the highlight of the night for those that actually got to watch it without their screen buffering every 30 seconds.
Still, if the NFL didn't already prove it, Tyson vs. Paul further highlighted the market for streaming sports, and with Netflix now getting into the wrestling business, we imagine things will only expand from there.
For those that missed it, you can check out Tyson vs. Paul streaming now on Netflix, and look for the new docuseries to debut at some point in 2025.