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Well we knew this was coming. Jake Paul’s team has responded to allegations that his victory over boxing legend Mike Tyson was rigged, calling the accusations baseless and nonsensical. Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), the organization behind Paul’s boxing ventures, issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter addressing the claims.
“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,” the statement read.
Is it really though? Let’s unpack a bit more …
Earlier this month, Jake Paul faced off against the former undisputed world heavyweight champion in a highly publicized and officially sanctioned boxing match streamed on Netflix. Despite technical streaming issues that frustrated some viewers, the event broke records for attendance and viewership. Paul ultimately won the fight by unanimous decision.
Following the fight, sports commentator and former NFL star Michael Irvin appeared on Cam’Ron and Mase’s It Is What It Is talk show, expressing skepticism about the bout’s legitimacy.
“That fight was a lie,” Irvin claimed. “Everybody’s lying […] they had no intentions to really strap it on. If you look through that, I didn’t see one patented uppercut by Mike Tyson. What did Mike Tyson win on? Uppercut.”
We all saw it. What do ya’ll think? Was it a lie or a real “sanctioned” fight?
He went on to allege that Tyson’s signature move had been intentionally omitted from the match. “I heard some people talking about they couldn’t put [Mike Tyson’s uppercut] in the contract,” Irvin said. “He couldn’t body and then uppercut. Like, how can you put that in a fight contract?”
Now if that was remotely true, wow. But where is the evidence?
Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, dismissed the rigging claims as another unfounded attempt to undermine Paul’s achievements.
“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,” Bidarian told The Hollywood Reporter.
Skeptics are going to be skeptical. Sometimes there’s merit to wild claims and sometimes claims are not so wild when you think about it.
He further emphasized the significance of the event’s success, stating, “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.”
Anyways, who’s Paul fighting next outside of the post Tyson media circus he’s battling right now.
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