Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing bout draws record $18.1M in gate revenue

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Fans filling the AT&T Stadium seats fueled a record $18.1 million in gate revenue for the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing bout, the highest total for any boxing or MMA event held outside of Las Vegas, promoters announced Tuesday.

Most Valuable Promotions said Friday's bout earned the ninth-highest combat sports gate in U.S. history and set a record for the highest-grossing gate revenue for a combat sports event held at the Arlington, Texas, football facility.

The previous Texas gate record for a combat sport or MMA event was $9 million, set during Canelo Alvarez's win over Billy Joe Saunders in 2021 at AT&T Stadium.

Friday's Paul-Tyson and Amanda Serrano-Katie Taylor bouts had an average ticket price of $304, the promoters said. More than 72,300 fans attended the Paul-Tyson bout.

"Paul vs. Tyson and Taylor vs. Serrano 2 rewrote the record books, solidifying Most Valuable Promotions as a trailblazer in combat sports," Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said in a news release.

"From setting the highest gate outside of Las Vegas in U.S. history for a combat sports event to becoming the most streamed sporting event in U.S. history, this event is a testament to the global impact of Jake Paul, Mike Tyson, Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano and the incredible athletes on this card.

"We're proud to have partnered with Netflix to deliver an event that brought fans together worldwide and broke many records. The UFC, which I believe to be the greatest combat sports organization of all time, has been in business for 30+ years and they have never put on an event of this magnitude.

"We established MVP three years ago and are just getting started. This is what it means to push the boundaries of what's possible in sports entertainment. Congratulations and thank you to our team and our fans."

Netflix announced Saturday that 60 million households tuned in to the bout, which Paul won in eight rounds by unanimous decision. Viewership peaked at 65 million concurrent streams. Nearly 50 million households tuned in for Serrano-Taylor, which Taylor won in 10 rounds.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Las Vegas Raiders owner Marc Davis, golfer Bryson DeChambeau, former boxers Evander Holyfield, Sugary Ray Leonard and Lennox Lewis, NFL legend Rob Gronkowski, comedian Hasan Minhaj and singer Joe Jonas were among the celebrity attendees Friday at AT&T Stadium.