Actor and former Strictly star Adam Thomas has faced backlash from fans as he celebrated Jake Paul’s defeat of Mike Tyson in Friday’s fight.
Paul, 27, triumphed over the boxing icon Tyson, 58, by a unanimous judging decision in the controversial but wildly successful bout.
Thomas, 36, who reprised his Waterloo Road role in the show’s 2023 reboot, is also famed for playing Adam Barton in the classic ITV soap Emmerdale.
Fans also supported the 36-year-old in his spirited runs on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and ITV’s I’m a Celebrity.
However, the actor's followers were less than pleased when he congratulated Paul on his history-making fight.
“Congrats to my boy Jake Paul last night,” Thomas wrote on Instagram, adding: “Say what you want about this guy... but he knows how to put on a show!”
Thomas reprised his role in the reboot of the BBC's Waterloo Road
PA
He continued: “Don’t get me wrongwasn’t the best fight in the world haha but we all tuned it to watch it haha…no one gothurt,wedidn’t have to pay for it and they got payed !! Everyone wins!!”
Fans were less than pleased with the post and made their feelings known to Thomas.
“Need to choose your mates better. The blokes a clown,” one follower decalred.
Evidently expecting backlash, Thomas responded personally to many of the negative comments.
Paul is proclaimed the winner of the bout with Tyson
Getty
Cheekily hitting back at the comment, he quipped: “Can u not talk about my mate like that please.”
“Oh Adam you've gone right down in my estimations!” another follower declared.
“Why because I respect someone who works there a**e off ? Haha funny old world isn’t it,” Thomas snapped back.
A third fan advised: “Mate I’m a massive fan of you but you're going to get a lot of hate for this. The fight was rigged.”
Stirring the pot further, the 36-year-old responded: “I couldn’t care less about the hate or if the fight was rigged ahha.”
One Instagram user, sensing Thomas may have been intentionally winding his fans up posted incredulously: “’My boy!’ Because you met him once!”
The Emmerdale actor, appearing to confirm the fans suspicions, admitted: “I know right just thought it would add to the drama haha.”