Jake Paul’s win over former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was a big deal for betting, even though the fight itself wasn’t very competitive.
BetMGM reported that this match, between the YouTube star and the 58-year-old Tyson, was the most-bet boxing or mixed martial arts fight they’ve ever had. The sportsbook saw three times more bets and four times more money placed on this fight than any other in its history.
Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading at Caesars Sportsbook, compared the excitement around this fight to 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.”
While the large amount of betting can’t be directly compared to past major fights, especially since many of Tyson’s biggest bouts took place before sports betting was legalized outside Nevada in 2018, the event at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, still attracted a huge amount of action.
Most of the bets at BetMGM were on prop bets, with the most popular ones being Tyson to win by knockout, decision, or a first-round knockout.
Although Paul was the favorite at -175, 67% of the bets and 53% of the money at BetMGM were placed on Tyson.
“Paul winning was a good outcome for the sportsbook,” said BetMGM senior trader Alex Rella.
