Nate Robinson Was Only Guaranteed $600 to Get Knocked Out Cold by a YouTube Star
Former boxing champions Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. headlined a highly-anticipated night of boxing on Saturday night, but they weren’t even involved in the most entertaining bout of the evening. Ex-NBA journeyman and three-time Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson faced off against YouTube star Jake Paul in the undercard, and the fight more than lived up to the hype.
Robinson survived the first round, but a ferocious right hand from Paul sent Robinson to the ground to secure a knockout victory in the second round. As Robinson laid facedown in the ring, he immediately became the laughing stock of the Internet. However, the brutal knockout wasn’t even the most embarrassing part of Robinson’s night.
Jake Paul knocks out Nate Robinson
In the most bizarre matchup of the boxing slate Saturday night, Nate Robinson met troubled Disney and YouTube star Jake Paul in the ring before Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. faced off in the co-main event.
Robinson had never fought in an official boxing match before, but Paul actually had some fighting experience coming into the bout. The popular YouTuber knocked out AnEsonGib back in January in his boxing debut.
Robinson and Paul went back and forth on social media leading up to the fight, and Paul even guaranteed a knockout victory. He made good on his promise Saturday night.
In the second round of the fight, Paul connected with a powerful right hand that sent Robinson tumbling to the ground, limp. Robinson became an Internet meme shortly after, as his sprawled, knocked out body was used in various photoshops to humiliate the ex-Slam Dunk champ.
Nate Robinson was only guaranteed $600 for the fight
As if the knockout wasn’t embarrassing enough, Robinson’s guaranteed purse for the fight made his boxing debut an even bigger joke. Robinson and Paul were both only guaranteed $600 for their bout ($100 per round), which is the minimum allowed by the California commission.
Even though the fight only lasted two rounds, both fighters earned the full $600. Thankfully for Robinson, though, he earned an even bigger payout thanks to the pay-per-view bonus money.
Robinson ended up making an extra $500,000
Despite only being guaranteed $600 by the California commission, Robinson ended up earning a pretty penny for his rough boxing debut on Saturday night. Along with the $600, Robinson also earned $500,000 in pay-per-view bonus money, according to Sportekz.
Tyson and Jones Jr., however, steamrolled Robinson and Paul in earnings. Both boxing legends earned a guaranteed $1 million for their bout, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN. They surely earned even more from PPV bonus money and endorsements as well.
Robinson’s professional boxing debut didn’t exactly go as planned, but luckily for him, PPV viewers saved him from what could’ve been a social and financial nightmare.
