21-year-old VIRAL ring girl from Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul gets real about 2 million followers

Sydney Thomas has newfound fame after going viral as the ring girl for the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight, and she plans to use it for good.


21-year-old VIRAL ring girl from Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul gets real about 2 million followers

Sydney Thomas, viral ring girl for Jake Paul - Mike Tyson bout, weighs in on newfound fame (Source: IMAGO/X)

Sydney Thomas has had her big break in the ring. Thomas, who just turned 21 on Tuesday, became a social media sensation as a ring girl at Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson. Thomas originally got the nod for the fight because she already had an impressive social media following.

Jake Paul vs. Tyson headlined MVP’s Netflix boxing event from the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium. The influencer boxer swiped out Mike Tyson in a lopsided win (80-72, 79-73, 79-73). As much as the mismatched Netflix-theme fight went viral, so did some other stuff. It’s a Jake Paul fight, so naturally, his thematic walkout did. So did Sydney Thomas since the weigh-ins. Now, she weighed in on their newfound fame and navigates through it as a ring girl.

I have a lot of people in my circle that are very trustworthy in that I can lean on with these things, …It’s a lot. A lot of people have come at me, saying a lot of things, giving their two cents, but I am blessed to have fallen in with the right people to be able to trust them and the advice they’re giving me, lead me in the right direction, and ease my mind and just know that I’m on the right path.

Sydney Thomas to Fox News Digital, Nov. 27, 2024 5:00am EST

Thomas was unable to go on the first date. But when it was postponed until November after Tyson’s ulcer, Thomas was still on her mind and she jumped at what she felt was a missed opportunity. Then it all blew up, but in a good way, As did her cohorts among the “MVP Main Event Models,” – namely Virginia SanhouseLexi WilliamsDelia Sylvain, and Raphaela Milagres.

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The University of Alabama student and model was the big spectacle at AT&T Stadium. She captured the attention of the internet – and from there, her following grew across the board. The combat sports clique already saw Haliey Welch aka ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl reacting to the Paul vs. Mike Perry DAZN PPV crossover fight in Tampa. Welch has become an integral celeb part of the Boxing/WWE grind. Thomas plans the same but with a more positive influence.

Sydney Thomas weighs in on life post-social media milestone

Sydney Thomas hit a ginormous internet milestone at a young mark. Thanks to the Jake Paul – Mike Tyson strain in Texas, 65 million households and around 200 million viewers watched her in simulcast streaming. Last week Thomas travelled to Las Vegas for F1. She modestly boasted that it was her idea to make the trip “while my face is still out there,” which isn’t a bad way to spend a 21st birthday weekend.

Sydney Thomas has long plans after Jake Paul's Netflix-theme fight
Sydney Thomas has long plans after Jake Paul’s Netflix-theme fight (Source: ringtv.com/Instagram)

It should go without saying that the Alabama student’s Instagram and TikTok DMs are flooded. One should obviously bank on the notion that some of the messages were less than pleasant. However, she is keeping her circle small and good. An entrepreneurship major in Tuscaloosa, she also has deep-impacting goals in mind, goals more than reaching fame levels to that of Brittney Palmer, Anya Galochkina, and Arianny Celeste.

My head has always been in the entrepreneurial space, …My end goal was to always build up my social media, my platform, my personal brand and then start something out of that that can last forever and make money in my sleep. I am going to work on continuing to build what I have in the media platforms and build stronger connections with my fan base…Money is great, but when I die, I want to be able to say that I changed someone’s life in a positive way or left a positive mark on the world.

Sydney Thomas to Fox News Digital

According to the New York Post, Thomas explained in a TikTok Q&A that her discovery was through social media. She did some modeling during Miami Swim Week and later made her mark as a ring girl for a night of boxing in Puerto Rico.

For young Thomas, whose personality is much more mature than it appears on social media, there is a deeper meaning. Thomas’ short-term goals include being a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. But long term, she means to put her media endeavor and following for something impactful.

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