Donald Trump skipped the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson fight, but he was definitely there in spirit

In the post-fight press conference, Paul admitted that by the third round he realized he needed to dial things back. “I want to give the fans a show,” Paul said, “but I don’t want to hurt someone who doesn’t need to be hurt.” When asked if he felt Tyson’s power in the ring, Paul simply replied: “No.” (Tyson did not attend the press conference and his representative did not respond Vanity Fair request comment.)

“There was a sense of disappointment in the room,” said the commentator Kate Scott said as the crowd grew increasingly restless and almost sad. “Everybody was hoping until the very end, man, that [Tyson] will find something special, and, well…”

“The crowd, they were confused throughout the fight,” said the lightweight champion turned commentator Andre Ward. “Their hearts went out to Mike and they wanted something to cheer about. But Mike doesn’t give them much to cheer about because of age and wear and tear.”

“They didn’t want to boo Mike,” Ward said. “They seemed restless and didn’t really know what to do.”

Others, like Johnson magicso crushed by the reality of the game that they had to turn it off. “It’s sad,” said the legendary NBA star wrote on X. “I cut it because I couldn’t watch it anymore. It’s sad to see Mike Tyson like this because I’ve been to every one of Tyson’s fights. Tonight’s fight is not good for boxing.”

Perhaps Paul disagrees. Immediately after the judges announced the unanimous decision in his favor, Paul took the mic to first praise Tyson, saying “he’s the greatest to ever do it” before giving his speech resoundingly brief. his tweet celebrated Trump’s victory last week.

“It is the age of truth. Those were good times. There is a change in the world and good things are increasing,” Paul said. “The truth is emerging, I am honored to be a member of America’s party. It feels like we’re back, baby.”