More than a week after Jake Paul’s convincing, if uninspired, win over Mike Tyson, some online chatter claiming the fight was “fixed” remains. On Monday, Paul’s promotion, Most Valuable Promotions, put out a statement attempting to squash any remaining talk that the fight was not entirely on the level.
The fight, which was a professional bout contested under special rules including larger-than-normal gloves and two-minute rounds, streamed on Netflix to a massive audience but fell flat when it came to action. Tyson landed less than 20 total punches over eight rounds while Paul safely jabbed to the head and body, occasionally landing a power shot but seeming mostly content to drag the legend along to the final bell.
Some fans, however, refused to believe that a 58-year-old Tyson couldn’t pull the trigger on a younger, bigger opponent and — as with nearly every one of Paul’s fights — the reaction was for some to claim the fight was fixed.
“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.”
Much speculation was likely fueled by training footage of Tyson looking strong and fast while doing work on pads. That work is akin to choreography and serves a purpose but is not always representative of what a fighter will look like when facing live resistance from an opponent.
Tyson also suffered a medical issue ahead of the originally planned July date. His team claimed it was an “ulcer flare-up” but Tyson has since claimed the situation was much more dire, tweeting after the fight, “I almost died in June. Had eight blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25 [pounds] in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight.”
None of these factors prevented some from believing the fight was illegitimate because Paul emerged with the win. That’s to be expected as Paul’s boxing career is in part built on scores of fans tuning in wanting to see him get brutalized.
“This is not the first time Jake Paul has faced unfounded skepticism or outright disbelief as a professional athlete, and frankly, the claim that his bout must have been rigged is just the latest backhanded compliment to come his way,” Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, said in the statement. “From day one in this sport, people have doubted his abilities — unable to reconcile how someone with his background has accomplished so much in such a short time. Jake has not only proven himself repeatedly, but he has continuously set historic records that speak for themselves. This event, which broke attendance and viewership milestones for a professional sporting event, is yet another example of his ability to deliver on the biggest stage. As long as Jake continues to exceed expectations, there will always be those who try to discredit his achievements. We embrace the doubt — it only fuels Jake to work harder and achieve greater success.”
