As the world tuned in to Netflix for the highly anticipated Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight on Saturday, the internet’s focus momentarily shifted to a different kind of “fight” – one that was just as entertaining, if not more, than any professional bout: the Battle of Baghpat.
The much-anticipated showdown between YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and boxing legend Mike Tyson, saw the former win by unanimous decision in a professional bout held in the US state of Texas. Some viewers speculated that the fight might have been scripted.
During the event, Netflix experienced a widespread outage, affecting thousands of viewers who struggled to access the livestream of the fight — marketed as the biggest boxing match ever to be streamed live.
While Netflix viewers were grappling with technical issues, social media users quickly found an unexpected source of entertainment in the form of the Battle of Baghpat, a viral video from 2021. In this bizarre and chaotic brawl, two chaat vendors in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat clashed over who could attract more customers to their stalls. What started as a minor dispute spiraled into a 20-minute showdown, leading to eight arrests in the district.
The video, which was possibly recorded by a bystander, soon became an internet sensation, flooding social media and meme pages. The bizarre, yet entertaining, nature of the fight had viewers hooked, and the video became one of those rare viral moments that remained relevant long after the actual event. Even three years later, the internet still can’t get enough of it. Amid the excitement over the Paul-Tyson fight, Battle of Baghpat made its way back into the social media spotlight.
As the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight gained global attention, the internet began drawing comparisons between the two events.
An X user posted, “No script, nothing—just pure entertainment. My fav fight #PaulTyson #NetflixFight.”
No script nothing just pure entertainment my fav fight #PaulTyson#NetflixFight https://t.co/nrVyov3KHM
— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) November 16, 2024
Another user shared their thoughts, “Historic, epic, era defining. When legends collided. When kings were dethroned. When the streets knew. When it was personal. Ladies & gentlemen, The Great Battle Of Baghpat.”
Historic, epic, era defining.
When legends collided.
When kings were dethroned.
When the streets knew.
When it was personal.
Ladies & gentleman,
The Great Battle Of Baghpat. https://t.co/9VU5PgP7K6— Pankaj (@pankajcgupta) November 16, 2024
Others expressed similar sentiments, with some even claiming that the Battle of Baghpat was the real, raw fight of the moment, unlike the highly produced Paul-Tyson clash. “Paul Tyson fight is nothing, this is pure entertainment and real fight,” another user posted with the hashtags #TysonVsJake and #MikeTysonvsJakePaul.
Paul Tyson fight is nothing this is pure entertainment and real fight#PaulTyson#NetflixFight#TysonVsJake #MikeTysonvsJakePaul pic.twitter.com/EVsCw5VtPl
— Abdul Mannan (@Mannan27101993) November 16, 2024
“The Greatest War of Modern History. ‘The Battle of Baghpat’,” a tweet read.
The Greatest War of Modern History.
“The Battle of Baghpat”
https://t.co/S2Az6Odxr8— Jai Saini (@JaiSaini3008) November 16, 2024
The fight between Jake Paul, 27, and Mike Tyson, 58, was set for eight rounds, each lasting two minutes, which is shorter than the usual three-minute rounds and 10 to 12 rounds in most professional fights.
