The boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson may have broken viewership records after being streamed live on Netflix but that doesn’t mean that every audience member came away satisfied. It was always going to be a controversial bout from the moment that it was announced due to the huge age gap between the two men.
Anyone tuning in and expecting a great contest was likely destined to be underwhelmed and that’s the lasting feeling that many were left with once Paul got his hand raised via a unanimous decision. “The Problem Child” has always been divisive and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to veteran fighters who made their names by competing at the highest level.
One of the latest icons to voice his displeasure is MMA pioneer and UFC legend, Don Frye. The 59-year old is known for putting on some classic fights during the early days of the sport including the iconic battle he had with Yoshihiro Takayama in PRIDE which won fight of the year 23 years ago.
A lot has changed since Frye was at his peak and it’s not surprising in the slightest that he didn’t enjoy the time that he spent in the company of the most talked about fight of 2024. He gave his thoughts on the fight and revealed how he attempted to wash it down with an immediate palette cleanser during a recent video on the YouTube channel of his former UFC and PRIDE opponent, Gary Goodridge.
That made me want to vomit. I was so disgusted with that. I had to go home and put in Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Jake Lamotta, Rocky Marciano. [I] had to watch some real fighters. If I didn’t do that, I’d never watch another boxing match again. That was a fraud.
