Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott

When Mike Tyson faced Jake Paul on November 15, 2024, the fight drew 108 million live viewers globally, making it the most-streamed sporting event in history. Behind that success was Brooklyn-based photographer Amanda Westcott, whose key art strategy helped Netflix shatter every streaming sports record on the books.

The numbers tell a story of unprecedented reach. The event peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, with 38 million of those in the United States alone. At AT&T Stadium in Arlington, 72,300 fans packed the venue, setting a new record for boxing attendance outside Las Vegas. The gate generated over $18 million in ticket sales, more than double the $9 million from Canelo Álvarez’s 2021 fight at the same venue. For Netflix, it marked a defining moment in live sports broadcasting.

Breaking Through in a Crowded Market

Westcott’s involvement in the Tyson-Paul event represented the culmination of more than a decade shooting world championship boxing for Showtime and DAZN. As Head of Photo and Lead Photographer for AK Collective Inc, the media production company she co-owns with her husband Mark, Westcott has built a reputation for creating imagery that stops scrollers mid-swipe.

“The challenge with something like Tyson versus Paul is that everyone already has an opinion before you even start,” Westcott said. “You need visuals that cut through the noise and make people feel like they have to watch this moment happen live. That’s not about making it look pretty. It’s about capturing something that feels urgent and unmissable.“

Mike Tyson taken by Amanda Westcott

Her approach prioritized drama over polish. Rather than typical fight promotion imagery that focuses tightly on grimacing faces, Westcott pulled back to capture full scenes that told stories. The key art featured both fighters in ways that played to the event’s unique appeal: Tyson as the legendary heavyweight returning to the ring at 58, Paul as the YouTube star turned legitimate boxer whose presence alone guaranteed attention.

The Portfolio That Built Trust

Netflix’s decision to tap Westcott for such a high-stakes project came from a track record that speaks for itself. Over the past five years, she has created key art for virtually every major boxing event on premium networks. Her client list reads like a greatest hits of the sport: Canelo Álvarez, Gervonta Davis, David Benavídez, Terrance Crawford, Errol Spence.

“When you’re working with athletes at that level, there’s no room for error,” Westcott explained. “You might get 15 minutes with someone like Canelo between training sessions. You need to walk in knowing exactly what shot you need, how to light it, how to direct them to get the right intensity. And then you need to deliver images that networks can build entire campaigns around.”

Her work extends beyond boxing into broader celebrity and brand photography. Recent projects include creating marketing materials for Dwayne Johnson’s Teremana Tequila, shooting for Apple’s supply chain awareness campaigns, and producing content for Meta, Nike, Procter & Gamble, and Cadillac. That versatility made her an ideal choice for an event that blurred the lines between sports, entertainment, and social media spectacle.

Changing the Game From Inside

Westcott’s path to the top of sports photography required navigating an industry that remains predominantly male. Her presence at ringside over the past decade has helped shift perceptions about who belongs in these spaces. In a 2019 DAZN documentary feature, she discussed the evolution of fight photography and her role in expanding what’s possible in the field.

“I definitely had to prove myself more than once,” Westcott said. “There were moments early on where people questioned why I was there or what I was really after. But once you deliver consistently, once your work shows up on billboards in Times Square and Sunset Boulevard, the conversation changes. Now younger women photographers reach out asking for advice, and that feels like progress.”

Her success hasn’t come from trying to shoot like the men who dominated the field before her. Instead, Westcott developed a distinct visual approach rooted in storytelling. Where traditional sports photographers might rush an athlete immediately after a win for a tight shot, Westcott hangs back to capture the full scene: the scrum of reporters, the chaos, the raw emotion that makes viewers feel present.

The Business of Making Moments Matter

Commercial photography at Westcott’s level operates at the intersection of art and strategy. Brands hire her not just for beautiful images but for pictures that drive measurable results. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Toronto Metropolitan University and 15 years of professional experience, she understands that her job is to make clients money.

“Every shot I take needs to serve a purpose,” Westcott said. “Whether it’s a boxing promotion or a product campaign for Procter & Gamble, the question is always: will this make someone stop scrolling? Will it make them want to buy a ticket, try a product, watch a movie? Pretty doesn’t matter if it doesn’t convert.“

For the Tyson-Paul fight, conversion meant creating imagery compelling enough to convince a global audience to tune in live on a Friday night. The key art needed to work across multiple formats: social media, streaming platform interfaces, traditional advertising, and press materials. It needed to appeal to Tyson’s older fanbase while capturing Paul’s younger demographic. Most critically, it needed to position the event as legitimate sports entertainment rather than a gimmick.

Netflix’s streaming numbers suggest Westcott delivered exactly that. The platform reported that 56 percent of all United States television viewing between midnight and 1 AM Eastern on fight night was devoted to Paul versus Tyson. In an era of fractured attention and endless content options, that kind of audience concentration is nearly impossible to achieve.

What Comes After Breaking Records

The Tyson-Paul event adds another high-profile success to a career already filled with them. Westcott’s work has appeared on billboards across the world, from Times Square to the Las Vegas Strip to Paris buses. She has been part of productions that won Sports Emmys for Best Opening Tease in both 2021 and 2024 with CBS Sports. Her photography has helped launch products, build brands, and create cultural moments that extend far beyond the initial shutter click.

Moving forward, Westcott continues to expand her roster of high-profile clients. Recent work includes photographing the driver announcement for Cadillac’s inaugural F1 team, creating promotional materials for Dwayne Johnson’s film releases, and shooting for YouTube’s influencer programming featuring James Patterson, Malcolm Gladwell, and Melinda Gates.

“The goal is always to keep pushing,” Westcott said. “Every project should feel like it matters, whether it’s the biggest boxing match in streaming history or a campaign for a brand trying to connect with their audience in a new way. If you approach everything with that mindset, the work takes care of itself.“

For an event that drew more viewers than most Super Bowls, having the right photographer was crucial. Netflix’s gamble on live sports paid off in part because the visual strategy convinced millions of people that history was happening. Amanda Westcott made sure they could see it clearly.