Despite an exceptional level of hype entering the main event, Friday night’s fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul left many who witnessed the battle between the 58-year-old boxing legend and 27-year-old YouTuber disappointed. The decision victory for Paul was panned by critics, with CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell saying that the event “felt like a giant waste of time.” And there were some who wasted a lot more than just their time.
Prior to Friday night’s fight, UFC star Conor McGregor posted on his X account that he had bet $1 million on fights this weekend, first betting on a Tyson knockout and also on a Jon Jones victory in UFC 309. Following Tyson’s loss, several outlets noted that McGregor deleted his post, and also deleted a post about Paul challenging Prichard Colon (who was paralyzed following a brain injury suffered in a 2015 fight) as his next opponent. To add to the piling on, McGregor was later called out by Paul and challenged to a fight in MMA.
Music superstar Drake also lost a hefty sum of money on Friday night’s fight, as he shared that he had bet $355,000 on Tyson to beat Paul. Drake had made his bet at +285, which would have paid him just over a million dollars in the event of a Tyson victory. Drake, of course, has been no stranger to sports betting and has become a notorious jinx in doing so.
While McGregor and Drake headline the notables who bet wrong for Tyson-Paul, many others were simply left grumbling about the quality of the match, in which Tyson quickly tired and Paul won in a unanimous decision following eight rounds. Among those who expressed their dissatisfaction with the match included Terence Crawford, Magic Johnson, Trae Young, J.J. Watt and others.
