Honestly, the boxing was kinda mid. When Jake Paul and Mike Tyson finally stepped into that ring at AT&T Stadium in November 2024, the world was watching for a knockout. Instead, we got a 58-year-old legend looking his age and a YouTuber-turned-prizefighter playing it safe. But while the main event struggled to live up to the Netflix hype, the internet found a different distraction. Everyone started talking about the paul tyson ring girls.
It wasn't just a casual "oh, they look nice" moment. It was a full-blown viral takeover.
By the time the final bell rang, social media wasn't debating Tyson’s legacy; they were frantically searching for the names of the five women standing behind the chaos. Specifically, one 20-year-old student from the University of Alabama became the face of the entire weekend.
The Viral Breakout of Sydney Thomas
Sydney Thomas entered the stadium as a relatively unknown model and left as a household name for millions of boxing fans. It's wild how fast it happened. One minute she’s standing in the background of the infamous "Tyson slap" during the weigh-ins, and the next, her Instagram is gaining hundreds of thousands of followers every hour.
She later admitted she had no idea the focus would shift from the fight to her. "I woke up to an overwhelming amount of love," she told her fans on TikTok. It’s a classic 2024 (and now 2026) fame story. Thomas, who was a junior studying management and entrepreneurship, proved she wasn’t just a "pretty blonde." She actually clocked a 33 on her ACTs and was finishing college a year early.
Most people don't realize this was only her second time ever working a boxing event. Her debut was only a month prior in Puerto Rico.
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Who Were the Other Four?
While Sydney stole the headlines, she wasn't alone. Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) assembled a squad of experienced models who have been in this world for years.
Raphaela Milagres: She's the veteran. A Brazilian model who has been working with MVP since 2021. If you watched Paul’s fights against Andre August or Ryan Bourland, you've seen her. She was actually the one coaching the newer girls like Lexi and Sydney on how to handle the pressure of 72,000 screaming fans.
Lexi Williams: At 31, Lexi brought a lot of professional polish to the group. She’s a Jamaican-American model based in LA and a veteran of Miami Swim Week. Even though she has millions of followers now, she confessed to TMZ that she was incredibly nervous being in the ring with so many celebrities watching from ringside.
Virginia Sanhouse: Before the fight even started, Virginia was technically the most famous person in the group. She’s a Venezuelan content creator with a massive following—over 5 million on TikTok alone. She’s also a business owner, running her own fitness and swimwear brands.
Delia Sylvain: A Mexican fitness model and Fashion Nova ambassador. Like Raphaela, she had worked previous Jake Paul cards, including the Mike Perry fight.
The Staged Fight Conspiracy
One of the weirdest things to come out of the paul tyson ring girls viral moment was the "staged fight" theory.
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People on X (formerly Twitter) were dissecting every frame of the weigh-in where Mike Tyson slapped Jake Paul. Because the ring girls in the background didn't flinch or scream, fans claimed it proved the whole thing was scripted. Sydney Thomas eventually had to set the record straight.
"That's our entire job," she explained to Fox News. "We're paid to stand there and smile. We're professional at it."
Basically, if they reacted every time a boxer acted out, they wouldn't be very good at their jobs. It wasn't a script; it was just professional composure.
Life After the Bell: DMs and Fame
The aftermath of being one of the paul tyson ring girls is apparently a chaotic mix of brand deals and weird messages. Sydney Thomas revealed on the "Like a Farmer" podcast that her DMs were "insanely flooded" with big names.
The funniest detail? An unnamed SEC football coach (rumored to be from a rival of her school, Alabama) supposedly slid into her messages just to say "Roll Tide."
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It’s easy to look at ring girls as just background scenery, but for these five, it was a massive business pivot. Lexi Williams continued her streak by working the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua card later on, and Raphaela Milagres is still a staple of the MVP roster. They aren't just holding cards; they're building personal brands that outlast the fights themselves.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often think these women just show up and stand there. In reality, the logistics are grueling. You’re talking about hours of standing in heels, constant media obligations, and the mental tax of being broadcast to over 100 million people on Netflix.
- Training: Many of these girls are athletes or fitness models who spend hours in the gym to maintain the "look" required for high-profile broadcasts.
- Exposure: The Netflix stream was the most-watched sporting event ever for the platform. That level of exposure is worth more than the actual paycheck for the night.
- Business: Most of them, like Virginia Sanhouse, use the "ring girl" title as a top-of-funnel lead for their own companies.
Actionable Insights for the Future
If you're following the trajectory of these creators, it’s clear that the "influencer-athlete" era isn't slowing down. The paul tyson ring girls showed that in a massive live event, the "side characters" can often become the main story if they know how to handle the spotlight.
If you are looking to keep up with them or understand the business of sports modeling:
- Follow the Promotion: Most of these women are signed or contracted through Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). Following the brand gives you a heads-up on who will be at the next fight.
- Check the Credits: Ring girls are now being credited in the same way on-air talent is.
- Look Beyond the Ring: Most of these women have LinkedIn-style portfolios or fitness apps that show the actual work they do outside of the 30 seconds they spend holding a round card.
The fight might have been a bit of a letdown for some, but for the women in the corners, it was a career-defining night that changed the way we look at ringside talent.