Jake Paul-Mike Tyson Was Not Scripted, Insists Paul’s Promotional Team Via Press Release

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson was such an unbelievably crappy fight that many observers refused to accept that it was a fight at all.

Monday morning, Paul’s promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), issued a statement to media, pushing back against the widely circulated rumors that Paul’s bout with former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson on November 15 was a scripted encounter.

“Following the wide circulation of incorrect and baseless claims that undermine the integrity of the Paul vs. Tyson event, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) would like to set the record straight regarding the contractual agreements and the nature of the fight,” the press release stated.

“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.

“Trash talk and speculation are common in sports, and athletes and promoters need to tolerate nonsensical commentary, jokes and opinions. But 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.”

Paul-Tyson, which was held live in front of more than 72,000 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and broadcast live on Netflix, attracted a reported 108 million live viewers, globally, making it the most streamed combat sports event of all-time.

The fight between the content creator-turned-professional boxer and the 19-years-retired, 58-year-old former “Baddest Man on the Planet” failed to deliver much action and left many with the feeling that something was decidedly “off” about the 8-round contest.

After the 27-year-old Paul appeared to buzz Tyson in the third round with some nothing-special shots, the novelty bout went from a drearily slow-paced spar to a death crawl, with the former heavyweight champ only landing six marginal punches in the five rounds after being stunned.

The legitimacy of the contest wasn’t helped any by Paul’s admission in the post-fight press conference that he intentionally laid off the fragile legend.

“Yeah definitely. Definitely a bit,” he admitted to reporters. “I wanted to give the fans a show but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.”

All in all, Compubox tallied only 96 punches landed in the entire bout, with just 18 belonging to Tyson.

Paul would go on to win a one-sided unanimous decision by scores of 80-72 and 79-73 (twice), raising his professional record to 11-1.

“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,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, via press release.

“From day one in this sport, people have doubted his abilities—unable to reconcile how someone with his background has accomplished so much in such a short time. Jake has not only proven himself repeatedly, but he has continuously set historic records that speak for themselves. 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.”

Despite the valiant attempt from MVP execs to make lemonade from lemons (tuna salad from cat turds may be more appropriate), the real issue with Jake Paul’s professional boxing matches has been the fact that none have yet come against actual high-end boxers. In his twelve pro bouts, the influencer has faced a YouTuber, a retired NBA star, five retired MMA stars, a part-time boxer/reality TV star (who beat Paul), two undersized fall guys, a bare-knuckle boxing brawler, and a nearly 60-year-old retired legend with horribly impaired reflexes and slowed-down reaction time.

Casual observers, who only know Tyson from reputation and from sizzling-brutal fight clips still well-circulated on social media, were so stunned by the lump of humanity in the ring that night, unable to move or react, that conspiracy theories started flying. One notable one had there being a contract stipulation barring Tyson from throwing any uppercuts in the bout.

The obvious solution to removing doubt and skepticism from future Jake Paul fights would be for Paul to fight actual active boxers, his size and at– or above– his level of skill/ability/experience.

His current run of novelty fights has been very successful when it comes to generating money and mainstream attention. If the goal is actual legitimacy, though, an active boxer kinda, sorta has to be fighting other active boxers.

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