Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
Promotional docuseries has cursing, injuries, branding.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson
What's the Story?
Narrated by Ice-T, COUNTDOWN: PAUL VS. TYSON is a documentary series that follows boxers Mike Tyson and Jake Paul as they physically and mentally prepare for an unprecedented heavyweight boxing match. On March 7, 2024, it was announced that in July 2024 Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions would be co-hosting an exhibition match between 27-year-old YouTube influencer turned professional boxer Jake Paul and 58-year-old Mike Tyson, one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. A month after the announcement, the fight was sanctioned as a professional bout. Now cameras follow Paul in Dorado, Puerto Rico and Tyson in Las Vegas, Nevada as they work with their coaches and train for the much-anticipated match, which is now scheduled for November 15, 2024. One-on-one interviews with Paul and Tyson reveal the way they see themselves as fighters, what inspires them to fight each other, and what they expect to happen. Interviews with coaches, family, sports experts, and others talk about the two boxers, their concerns about what can happen, and who they think will win. Archive footage also helps tell the fighters' backstories, revealing the paths that led them to this point in their careers. Meanwhile, the series also highlights the rematch between female lightweight boxing champions Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
Is It Any Good?
The voyeuristic three-part documentary offers viewers a chance to see how a 20-something rising fighter and a champion boxer twice his age are individually preparing themselves for their much-anticipated match. Jake Paul, who many consider controversial because of who and how he fights, and the fact that he's an influencer, views himself as a disrupter who is willing to take risks in order to become a World Champion fighter. Meanwhile, Mike Tyson, known for his skill, strength, and his own controversies wants to continue challenging himself, and is eager to show that he remains a great fighter though he hasn't been in the ring since 2020, and the match was postponed because of his health problems. But as each boxer's past fights are revisited, their training observed, and aspects of their personal lives revealed, it's also very clear that Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson is a promotional vehicle designed to pump Netflix subscribers up for the upcoming live event. Nonetheless, boxing fans will find it entertaining, while those who are not may still find the two colorful fighters interesting enough to watch.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why both boxers are taking risks to fight each other. What reasons do they give for doing it?
How does Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson differ from an infomercial? Or does it?
TV Details
- Premiere date : November 7, 2024
- Cast : Ice-T , Mike Tyson , Jake Paul
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- Character Strengths : Perseverance
- TV rating :
- Last updated : November 9, 2024
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