Boxing fans were left seething as Netflix battled to stream the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul boxing match. Numerous fans online reported issues with buffering and being able to watch the streaming giants first foray into live sports.
The issues seemed to worsen for many users before Katie Taylor faced Amanda Serrano in the co-main event. The duo were facing off in a huge rematch of their Madison Square Garden epic two years ago.
Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos fought a classic encounter in the second fight on the Netflix-streamed portion of the undercard. Judges reached a split draw decision meaning Barrios retained his WBC welterweight world title.
But in the break between fights, fans flooded social media to complain about buffering issues on the streaming site. The event, which sees Tyson and Paul taking home a combined $60 million, is the first live sporting event broadcast by Netflix, who will also screen two live NFL games on Christmas Day.
One disgruntled fan vented: If Netflix doesnt fix this buffering issue, this will go down as one of the biggest fails in all of tv/streaming history. Another added: Another chimed in: First time Ive sat down to watch boxing on forever and Netflix keeps freezing up and buffering.
A user queried: Is Netflix down for everybody? ? ? ? Literally my stuff will not load.
Hey, is anyone else having server and bandwidth issues with Netflix? , another frustrated viewer asked.
Pixels have ramped down to 1995 TV level and it keeps buffering Yet another exclaimed: Netflix has crashed! We have been buffering at 25 per cent for 10 minutes and now frozen. Its not my network. We are pushing 250 mbs.
Others commented: Mine just stopped. Not having high hopes for seeing the main bout and Hundred thousand people watching this are having the exact same problem.
Fans were tuning in to watch Jake Paul face Mike Tyson (
Anadolu via Getty Images)
Netflix also suffered sound problems earlier in the night. Evander Holyfield, who joined Lennox Lewis in the studio, could not hear questions put to him by host Kate Scott, who was forced to apologize.
Evander, I apologize, she said. Im so sorry about the sound. Lennox, thank you for helping us out with the interview. We appreciate you. Good to see you tonight. Good to see both of you champions with us tonight.
The Paul-Tyson fight has been a long time in the making. Initially scheduled for July, it was postponed when Tyson suffered an inflamed ulcer on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles back in May. He eventually recovered, and both fighters passed medical tests to allow the fight to take place.