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David Purdum, ESPN Staff Writer
The Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match set betting records at sportsbooks, becoming the most heavily wagered upon fight in years.
More bets were placed — and more money wagered — on Friday night’s heavyweight fight in Arlington, Texas, than any other boxing match or MMA fight in sportsbook BetMGM’s nearly seven-year history, according to a company spokesperson.
Tyson-Paul attracted four times as much money wagered as any other combat event — MMA or boxing — at BetMGM, the sportsbook said Monday in a news release.
The Tyson-Paul fight also was the most bet combat sports at ESPN BET, attracting more than four times as much handle as the next biggest boxing event and more than twice as much handle as the biggest MMA even since the sportsbook launched in November 2023.
“[It] was unbelievable for business,” John Murray, executive director of the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, told ESPN. “Casino was packed. Bets flying in all day. I was stunned.”
Paul, who closed at about -290 as the favorite, won by unanimous decision in a fight that went the full eight rounds. The majority of the bets were on Tyson, a 2-1 underdog, but the largest ones were on Paul, including a $1 million wager placed with Caesars Sportsbook in Michigan.
Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading for Caesars Sportsbook, compared the amount wagered on Tyson-Paul to an NFL Monday night game.
“We knew there would be tremendous interest in the fight, as the betting suggested it was a generational matchup in customer demographics,” Mucklow said. “Those old enough to remember a prime Mike Tyson got to live the nostalgia one last time, while those young enough not to know who Iron Mike was were firmly on the Jake Paul side of the counter.”
Source: www.espn.com