Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson was one of the biggest sporting events of the year, but the result left a lot to be desired. Many called the bout boring at best and questionable at worst for the headliner’s labored efforts. Paul and Nakissa Bidarian, Paul’s manager and co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, pushed back against any fight-fixing claims on Wednesday.
in november 15, Paul vs. Tyson Competed in professional boxing competitions with modified rules. Paul’s inability to finish off the 58-year-old Tyson had people questioning the fight’s authenticity. The most common paradigm detractors point to is when Paul opted against pursuing a knockdown after staggering Tyson in Round 3.
“People are like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s rigged because look at him in the pad but he didn’t do it in the fight,’ because someone punches you dumb,” Paul said of his brother, Logan Paul.emotional” podcast on Wednesday. “People don’t understand my strength, and my jab, my speed and my ability and my footwork to get out of the way of those punches, so all of a sudden he’s throwing, literally, in the air.”
Paul added fuel to the fire of fight-fixing allegations during his post-fight interview. Paul told reporters that he “definitely didn’t want to hurt anybody that didn’t need to be hurt”, agreeing that he “definitely” took his foot off the gas to “give the fans a show”. On Wednesday, Paul claimed that Tyson’s elusiveness saved him.
“He was hard to hit,” Paul said. “He was elusive. I was missing a lot of punches. I don’t know how he got to the side like that… I wish he could have fought better so I could have gotten up and done more. , and he was alive.”
Sports broadcasters, alleged internet sleuths and fans have questioned the fight’s legitimacy. Bidarian specifically addressed Super Bowl champion Michael Irvin’s claim that a “no uppercuts” clause was written into the Paul vs. Tyson contract.
“The only thing that bothers me is the constant kind of narrative and people saying that the fight was rigged,” Bidarian said. “The Ariel Helwani Show.”
“How do you see the deal starting with Mike Tyson not being able to throw an uppercut?” Bidarian asked. “It’s beyond crazy.”
Bidarian assured the fight was legitimate, citing its regulated status as a professional fight and a high-stakes partnership with Netflix. Bidarian dismissed social media posts claiming the fight was fixed as a fraudulent attempt to generate viewers.
“It was a professional fight regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. And we partnered with the world’s largest media company, Netflix, which is a public company,” Bidarian said. “Anyone who suggests this was a rigged fight in any way, is either dumb or they’re looking for attention.”
“I get it. Posting (claiming) ‘proof it’s rigged’ gets you good engagement. Lots of people comment, like and share. We’re in an attention economy. People talk weird to bring awareness to themselves. It’s a part of society. It’s a sad state of affairs that people want to spend their time like this.”
Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions — a company founded by Paul and Bidarian — have partnered to host Paul vs. Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. On April 29, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations approved the fighters’ request to be allowed to fight professionally, despite concerns about the 31-year age gap between the athletes. The commission approved the sanction, but included a modified ruleset of 14-ounce gloves (4 ounces larger than a standard heavyweight bout) as well as eight, two-minute rounds.
Tyson revealed after the fight that he “almost died” After an ulcer flare-up in June delayed the fight’s original date in July.
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