Nate Robinson made his boxing debut on Saturday night in the final undercard bout on the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition pay-per-view. Robinson was going up against YouTuber Jake Paul, who has previously won a similar exhibition boxing fight in 2019 and, as such, had a significant experience advantage — along with a size edge on Robinson.
The fight played out as one might expect for such a differential in experience, as Robinson looked uncomfortable in the ring and was unable to land anything of substance, while Paul peppered the former dunk contest champion, sending him to the canvas three times. The third knockdown was the most violent, with a right uppercut and short hook combination from Paul sending Robinson to the mat face first and out cold.
The immediate reaction from just about everyone was of concern as he lay there, but happily Robinson was able to get up and leave the ring. Once that happened the jokes began flying, including from a number of Robinson’s former colleagues in the NBA, but he also received plenty of messages, publicly and privately, offering support after his loss. On Sunday, Robinson posted to Instagram offering appreciation to fans who supported him as well as another post specifically thanking a number of NBA players who sent him messages.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIKkBuWBsVm/
It’s good to see Robinson seemingly in good spirits after the loss, which certainly was a humbling experience — but one that he’s still grateful for. It’s also nice that he received plenty of support from NBA stars, even as they had some fun at his expense as everyone did after his very brief boxing debut.
