By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-18 18:46:58 | Updated at 2024-11-23 07:20:23
4 days ago
YouTuber-turned boxer Jake Paul's victory over former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson has sparked somewhat of a backlash - especially given the the 31-year age gap between the fighters.
Paul, 27, clinched the bout via a unanimous points decision at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas - the biggest NFL stadium in the US.
The fight, watched by millions on Netflix, was marred by controversy, with boos ringing around the stadium in the final two rounds as spectators were left unimpressed by the lack of action.
The bout was dressed up as a professional boxing bout, but many in the sport were left uneasy.
Despite Tyson being an all-time boxing great, there is no getting away from the fact he is a 58-year-old grandfather who was taking on a 27-year-old gym jock.
The build-up was dominated by accusations of fixing from past and present boxers, while a fake script also did the rounds before the fight got underway.
Although Paul maintained the legitimacy of the fight in the pre-match press conferences, he frustrated fans by admitting he failed to knock out Tyson on purpose.
By the final round, few punches were thrown with Paul landing 78 and Tyson connecting with his rival just 18 times.
Jake Paul's victory over former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson has sparked somewhat of a backlash
Bets banned across the US
It is alarming that several US states banned betting on Friday night's fight between Paul and Tyson.
Though the fight was professionally sanctioned, Paul and Tyson fought in eight two-minute rounds as opposed to the regular three-minute versions.
The pair were also wearing 14oz gloves rather than the usual 10oz numbers worn by heavyweights.
According to ESPN, seven out of the 38 American states where sports wagering is legalised banned gambling on the fight for that very reason.
New York, Pennsylvania and Colorado are said to be among the states who would not take bets, with the New York State Gaming Commission saying it was not eligible for wagering because of the 'non-traditional rules'.
Colorado and Pennsylvania gambling chiefs coincided with that view, while the former cited not all fighters being professionally ranked as another reason why.
Pennsylvania also justified their decision to ban gambling on the fight by pointing to the shorter number of rounds.
'Given the totality of factors, the decision was made in the best interest of the betting public not to permit wagering in Pennsylvania,' a source is quoted as saying.
Among the 31 states that did offer bets on the contest, some raised concerns beforehand about the potential ramifications if both men treated it as more of an exhibition-style event than a competitive fight.
Jake Paul bows in respect to former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson during their Texas bout
Allegations of 'fixing' from past and present boxers
Former world champion Carl Froch claimed there was 'something in the contract' that would prevent Tyson 'from even trying to hurt Paul'.
Claiming there was no way Tyson would ever win, he told GB News before the fight: 'I think it's a scripted fight and will last three or four rounds.
'Jake Paul will definitely win; Tyson might start well but then he'll fall over.
'Paul can't lose. It's in the contract, he can't lose. He is a useless w****r.'
Meanwhile a boxer on the undercard of the Netflix boxing event also claimed the fight was 'fixed'.
Sara Bailey, the women's WBA world light flyweight champion who supported Lucas Bahdi on the undercard, told ES NEWS: 'Yeah, it was fixed, I'm sorry.' Bahdi himself remarked on Paul's performance, saying, 'I think he [Paul] took it easy.'
Former world champion Carl Froch claimed there was 'something in the contract' that would prevent Tyson 'from even trying to hurt Paul'
Paul 'signals' to Tyson
Some viewers have claimed to have pinpointed the moment that proves the fight was fixed
'Jake Paul signaling for Mike to take it easy,' one fan wrote on X in a post that included a clip of Tyson landing a chin shot.
Paul reacted to the punch by sticking his tongue out and taunting Tyson, as if to say the punch didn't bother him. It's something that Paul has done in previous fights, and even outside of the ring, the former YouTube star has made a habit of sticking out his tongue.
But according to these conspiracy theorists, Tyson was 'signaling.'
Spokespeople for Most Valuable Promotions declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com. A Netflix spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jake Paul sticks out his tongue at Mike Tyson after taking a chin shot during his victory
At the end of the match, Tyson was embraced by Paul and the two shared a brief exchange
Fake script leaked ahead of fight
A fake script for the Dallas brawl did the rounds on social media, adding fuel to the fire over whether the fight was fixed.
A user on X claimed to leak a detailed script of proceedings, even 'revealing' who would knocked out in the fifth round.
The Mail must highlight the suspicious nature of the document, shared by an anonymous account with 204 followers.
Not only did it purport to script how the crowd would react at particular moments - implying that everybody would have to be in on the act - but it also claimed a cut would open above Tyson's eye on cue in the fourth round.
Despite the script being unfounded - and failing to materialise - it provoked a strong reaction from boxing fans.
A fake script for the Dallas brawl did the rounds on social media, adding fuel to the fire over whether the fight was fixed
Mike Tyson's former coach questions legitimacy of fight
Iron Mike's former coach Teddy Atlas also raised concerns over whether the fight was fixed.
He told The Sun before the fight: 'My only question … is it real? Maybe it is, I would hope it is.
''But is there going to be an honest effort to do what is always looking to be done, to go and destroy that guy, to knock him out?'
Paul admits he didn't want to knock Tyson out
Paul claimed after the fight that he deliberately avoided knocking out Tyson.
The former world heavyweight lost on points, but went the full eight rounds against the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
Asked about not going for the knockout blow, Paul said afterwards: 'There was a point where I was like he is not really engaging back.
'So I don't know if he is tired. I can just tell his age was showing a little bit.
'I just have so much respect for him and that war thing between us after he slapped me, I wanted to be aggressive, take him down and knock him out.
'But that kind of went away as the rounds went on.
'I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn't want to hurt someone that didn't need to be hurt.'
MailOnline has contacted Most Valuable Promotions about the 'fixing' allegations.
