A few days ago, Jake Paul secured his 11th victory in professional boxing by defeating Mike Tyson. However, the YouTuber has faced criticism from some who claim the fight was rigged, a situation that Paul has now addressed with a bold statement.
On November 15, the world witnessed the return of one of the greatest pugilists of all time. Mike Tyson made his second comeback to boxing after retiring in 2005, but this time, it was for a professional bout.
Jake Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer, challenged the 58-year-old legend to a match. The outcome would have an impact on both their records, as the influencer continues to make his way in the world of professional boxing.
Jake Paul responds to claims that his fight with Mike Tyson was rigged
Many boxing analysts have criticized Jake Paul’s career, arguing that he has yet to face a truly competitive challenge. Apart from his loss to Tommy Fury, Paul has mostly fought retired fighters or personalities with no professional boxing experience.
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In his most recent match, Paul faced Mike Tyson. At 31 years younger than Tyson, Paul’s victory was met with heavy criticism, with fans and analysts pointing to the significant age gap as a factor that would be apparent in the fight.
By the third round, Tyson appeared exhausted and stopped attempting to land punches on Paul, leading some fans to believe the fight was rigged. They noted that Tyson had opportunities to strike but seemed to avoid them.
In response to these claims, Jake Paul’s team released an official statement. Most Valuable Promotions, the organization representing Paul, denied the accusations, insisting that neither Paul nor Tyson would ever rig a fight.
“Rigging a professional boxing match is a federal crime in the United States of America,” MVP said in a statement. “Paul vs. Tyson was a professional match sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR). Both fighters in good faith performed to the best of their abilities with the goal of winning the fight. There were absolutely no restrictions — contractual or otherwise — around either fighter. Each boxer was able to use his full arsenal to win the fight. Any agreement to the contrary would violate TDLR boxing rules.
“Trash talk and speculation are common in sports, and athletes and promoters need to tolerate nonsensical commentary, jokes and opinions. But suggesting anything other than full effort from these fighters is not only naïve but an insult to the work they put into their craft and to the sport itself.
“It is further illogical and inane that MVP, in the debut of a hopeful long-term partnership with the world’s biggest streamer — an organization that made its first-ever foray into live professional sports with Paul vs. Tyson — would even so much as consider such a perverse violation of the rules of competition.”