Jake Paul emerged victorious over Iron Mike Tyson in their highly anticipated bout last weekend in Texas. The fight went down as the most-streamed live sporting event in history, reaching an incredible peak of 65 million concurrent streams. Leading up to the event, there were plenty of hopeful fans, believing that Tyson might deliver a knockout blow to Paul.
However, there was one moment during the pre-show coverage that completely changed the outlook for many spectators, including NFL star Jason Kelce.
During the pre-fight broadcast, Mike Tysons son interviewed his father, and at the end of the conversation, they shared a quick kiss before Tyson turned to walk away. What happened next became an unexpected viral moment: as Tyson walked off, Netflix cameras accidentally caught a shot of his bare cheeks.
For many viewers, the stream had been buffering, and unfortunately for Tyson, the feed froze at the exact moment that his cheeks were on full display. The image was streamed to tens of millions of people worldwide, and the unintended moment quickly made its way across social media.
Jason and Travis Kelce discussed the incident on the latest episode of their podcast, New Heights. Travis couldnt contain his laughter as he described the scene, calling it the funniest s ever. He even admitted to immediately grabbing his phone and sending the clip to as many people as he could. Jason chimed in, adding, I didnt think Mike was going to win before, but I knew when I saw those cheeks he wasnt going to win.
The viral clip of Tysons cheeks became a focal point of the conversation in the days following the fight, overshadowing even the result of the match itself.
For those who havent seen the clip, its difficult to avoid it now, with thousands of versions of the moment circulating across social media platforms like Threads and X (formerly Twitter). Jason and Travis agreed that the clip had become an instant cultural phenomenon, as everyone seemed to have a version of it to share.
For some viewers, like one unlucky podcast listener, the experience was not quite the same. They missed the infamous moment entirely due to issues with Netflixs live stream. As the user explained, Unfortunately for myself, I missed this moment on the stream. My Netflix kept buffering, and I eventually gave up trying to restart the stream and ended up watching something else. So, I missed the moment and, unfortunately, forged ahead backing Mike Tyson, which, as we all now know, was a poor decision.
The technical difficulties didnt go unnoticed, especially with Netflix set to stream an NFL game on Christmas Day. Following the high-profile buffering debacle during the Tyson-Paul fight, the NFL has reportedly reached out to Netflix to address concerns about the stability of their streaming service.
With such a critical game on the line, the league wants to ensure that there wont be any repeat issues that might disrupt viewers experiences during the holiday broadcast.
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Despite the technical issues and the unexpected viral moment, the fight itself lived up to its billing as an entertaining spectacle.
Jake Pauls victory over Mike Tyson was a defining moment in his controversial boxing career, proving that he could take onand defeata legend of the sport.
Yet, for many fans, the lasting memory of that night wont be the outcome of the fight, but rather the unplanned comedic moment involving Mike Tysons bare cheeks, which stole the spotlight and became a trending topic worldwide.
The Kelce brothers humorous discussion of the incident on their podcast provided fans with a lighthearted perspective on an otherwise intense event, showing that even in the high-stakes world of boxing, there are still moments that can make everyone laugh.
As the NFL prepares for its upcoming partnership with Netflix, the lessons learned from the Tyson-Paul fight will likely be crucial in ensuring a smooth and seamless experience for millions of football fans this Christmas.
