Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield give stamp of approval to Paul brothers: ‘Those guys are helping boxing so much' - November 2022

The two boxing legends believe payouts from Paul brothers' fights bring about jealousy

The emergence of Jake Paul and Logan Paul in the boxing world has brought about confusion, debates and even some rage from fans of the sport. But two boxing legends think the Paul brothers are doing more for the sport than most and approve of them going at it on the canvas.

"Those guys are helping boxing so much," Mike Tyson told Fox News Digital. "Professional boxers, they are so jealous."

Why would pro boxers with years of training and loads more experience than the Paul brothers be jealous? It’s all about the money.

"They never made a million bucks yet," Tyson said. "These guys made millions and millions of dollars. These guys never had an amateur fight, [other boxers] had hundreds of amateur fights."

Evander Holyfield shares the same mindset regarding the YouTube stars getting into the sport.

"I felt that it helped boxing because it shows everybody these guys who really don’t know how to box, but they’re just swinging, they’re making all that money," Holyfield told Fox News Digital while promoting his new partnership with Tyson’s cannabis company, Tyson 2.0, which announced their newest product "Holy Ears," THC and Delta-8 THC-infused edibles, on Monday. "These guys are not even professional. They just in there doing their thing."

The most recent fight was Jake Paul taking on MMA legend Anderson Silva, and "The Problem Child," as Paul is known in the ring, was set to make an estimated $5 million total with guaranteed purse payouts and pay-per-view sales, per Boardroom.

Then there’s Logan Paul’s extremely successful bout with Floyd Mayweather, which had an estimated total $15 million going his way. Paul said that Mayweather’s checks were "short a few mil" in May, according to TMZ Sports.

While the payouts have been grand for the Paul brothers, true fans of the sport have debated whether they are staining the sport’s respect because they haven’t put in the years of work on the craft like fighters past and present have.

But they do prepare rigorously for their fights despite what some in the business may say about them. UFC’s Conor McGregor called Jake Paul a "jacka--" while world champion boxer Gervonta Davis called him a "clown."

"I don’t like it," Jake Paul told Sports Illustrated recently about not being considered a real fighter. "I’m a professional boxer. Just my lifestyle, my mentality, what I do every day, who I surround myself with."

Then there’s the argument that the Pauls don’t fight "real" boxers. While Mayweather is a different story for Logan Paul, Jake Paul has beaten all former MMA fighters (he also fought fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib and former NBA guard Nate Robinson, both knockouts).

Ben Askren was the first MMA fighter, which resulted in a knockout in the first round. Then,he defeated Tyron Woodley twice, once by knockout in their most recent bout.

Silva was his toughest matchup to date, and he ended up with a unanimous decision for his sixth career victory.

But Tyson is on his side when it comes to the competition.

"He’s not fighting any of those guys, but he is fighting guys that are supposed to kick his ass. That’s how he’s fighting," Tyson said about Jake Paul.

Jake Paul has also made it a point to try and fight boxers, including heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s brother, Tommy, who Paul instigated at Mayweather’s event in Dubai this past Sunday. Mayweather fought another YouTube star, Deji Olatunji, where Tommy Fury fought Rolly Lambert on the card.

Paul was on commentary for the fight between Tommy Fury and Rolly Lambert and answered the question as to why he would not fight Tommy Fury, saying, "This guy sucks." Paul also shouted "you f---ing suck" and "you have no d---," according to Talk Sport. Even Fury's father got involved with the verbal jousting.

At the end of the day, it still takes a certain confidence to get into the ring and fight someone. That’s what Holyfield respects about the brothers.

"The whole big thing about boxing is the confidence it takes once you get in there. It’s easy to talk about it. You can hit the bag, the bag don’t hit you back. But it’s another monster when you get in that ring," he said.

Tyson and Holyfield are reuniting under the newly formed Carma Holdings, which houses Tyson 2.0 and Holyfield’s own cannabis line that will begin in 2023. "Holy Ears" pays homage to the infamous moment when Tyson bit a chunk of Holyfield’s ear off during their heavyweight title fight in 1997.

Media Man

Movie Gaming

Can movie theatres and online streaming live side by side?

It’s been a tough time for movie theatres around the world with a number of factors contributing to the decline in the number of people heading to the cinema to watch movies. In a world that is embracing digital technologies, the movie industry is in danger of getting left behind unless they quickly embrace the technologies available that will get people excited to return to movie theatres and get the enjoyment of the cinema experience once again.

The rise of the video game industry

Whilst there are plenty of factors that are influencing people’s decision to visit the cinema, there is no doubt that the rapid rise of the online video game industry is a large contributing factor. People are starting to look elsewhere for their entertainment and online video gaming provides a lower-cost alternative to a trip to the cinema.

A report by MarketWatch in 2020 found that the video game industry is now bigger than the sports and movie industry combined. Just take a minute to digest that. Bigger than movies and sports - that’s big.

The news outlet reported that global video game revenue is expected to increase 20% in 2020, making $179.7 billion, according to data from IDC.

The biggest gain is expected to come from mobile gaming, according to the news outlet, which is expected to surge 24% to $87.7 billion. Part of this is due to China recently lifting a ban on gaming consoles.

Game console revenue is expected to soar to $52.5 billion this year, while PC and Mac games are expected to make $39.5 billion.

In their most recent report, MarketWatch reported that whilst overall revenue was expected to grow by 11% in 2021 to $251.39 billion, the forecast for 2022 is just a 2% growth and a flattening out of that rapid growth over the past two years.

Is this a potential opportunity for cinemas to reclaim some of that lost audience share?

Early signs look good for cinemas in 2022

If the latest movie releases in 2022 are anything to go by, it looks as though the movie theatre industry is not ready to give up just yet. Spider-Man: No Way Home became the biggest grossing movie of the past two years, grossing over $US1 billion ($1.38b) in the first two weekends. It is the second-fastest film ever to reach the $1 billion mark and suggests that this could be a big year for cinema-goers.

Following in its footsteps is another 2022 release, The Matrix Resurrections, a movie that grossed $US12 million in its opening weekend.

Whilst this is a great start to the New Year for movie theatres around the world, it remains to be seen whether this is a trend that continues throughout the year. With a number of high profile movies due for release in 2022, this could be a time for cinemas to really cash in.

The impact of streaming and long-form content

It is unlikely that cinemas will have it all their own way in 2022. Whilst it is great to see people returning to movie theatres to watch the latest releases on the big screen, there is no question that home viewing is here to stay.

As more studios and media distributors are developing their own direct-to-consumer streaming services, this starts to eat into the revenue of major studios.

Studios derive almost half of their revenues from theatrical releases. Although the average number of movie tickets purchased by Americans each year has declined from 4.2 in 2009 to 3.4 in 2019 (Source: Deloitte), studio revenues are driven more by box office tickets now than they were 20 years ago.

Streaming is having the biggest impact on people going to the movies. As televisions have improved, where you can now watch movies at home in 4K high-definition on screens with sizes up to 100”, with surround sound, people have become more willing to wait for the latest release movies to become available on streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Stan.

Another major impact on the cinema industry is the consumer switch to long-form content in the form of series. Many people feel there is more depth to a series that contains anywhere from six episodes upwards. Game of Thrones was one of the groundbreaking series to really capture the audience’s attention, however, there are so many amazing series now that it is becoming more difficult for movies to compete with the depth and the character development that a series can bring.

Huge series like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos and more recently, Succession, have really captured the attention of audiences around the world and this is something movie producers need to consider.

The entertainment factor

It’s not just video games and streaming that are competing for people’s attention. Another industry embracing technology is the online casino and betting sector. Here, we have seen huge advancements in the way people are able to game online. One company leading the way in the sector is Betway, “Developed by our exceptionally talented people, Betway creates market-leading, cutting-edge interactive gaming experiences. We bring people closer to the action – putting them at the centre, making them feel a part of it.”

From the introduction of in-game betting to the development of new and exciting interactive games, these online gaming sites are leading the way when it comes to embracing new technologies that can lead to better experiences for customers.

The movie industry is at a real crossroads. With competition coming from every direction within the entertainment industry, studios and distributors need to find a way to either a) get more people back into movie theatres or b) look at alternative ways to ensure that movies can compete with online gaming, live sports streaming and online casinos for a share of customer eyeballs.