After Jake Paul’s win over Mike Tyson on Friday, November 15, many have accused the YouTuber of rigging the bout.
Little over a week ago, the internet exploded as Jake Paul (27) beat boxing legend Mike Tyson (58) in a ‘fight’ that was aired exclusively on Netflix, and the co-headliner alongside Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano.
The fight, which left many fighting fans disappointed, sparked waves of controversy over the days which followed.
Many were quick to label the bout as ‘criminally rigged’ considering Paul won the fight rather easily despite having only a small backlog of fights against some questionable opponents.
Now, as the controversy continues to mount, Paul’s boxing promotion company, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), have responded to the claims that the fight was fixed.
In a statement they said: “Rigging a professional boxing match is a federal crime in the United States of America. 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.”
They added: “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.”
Read next:
