Paul says he carried Tyson, didn't want to 'hurt' him

Jake Paul admitted he carried Mike Tyson in their fight and didn't want to dish out too much damage against the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion.

Paul earned a lopsided unanimous decision victory over Tyson in a highly anticipated boxing match Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but was booed by fans in attendance for putting on a lackluster performance. The YouTube star turned prizefighter said afterward he "definitely" took his foot off the gas "a bit" in the middle rounds when he noticed Tyson was getting tired.

"I wanted to give the fans a show," Paul said at the postfight press conference. "But I didn't want to hurt someone that didn't need to be hurt."

He added: "There was a point where I was just like, 'OK, he's not really engaging back.' I could just tell his age was showing a little bit."

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation sanctioned Paul-Tyson as a professional bout despite the fact Paul, 27, is more than three decades younger than Tyson. The fight marked Tyson's first time competing as a pro since 2005.

Paul controlled the action from start to finish, outlanding Tyson 78-18 in total punches. Tyson got in a few shots but struggled with his movement and was essentially a stationary target from the third round onward.

"I tried to give the best fight I possibly could," said Paul, who improved to 11-1 with the victory. "But when someone's just surviving in the ring, basically, it's hard to make it exciting. I couldn't really get (Tyson) to engage me or slip shots or do something super cool or whatever. But I don't care about what people have to say."

Paul offered praise for Tyson during his postfight interview in the ring, saying he's "the greatest to ever do it."