Jake Paul is basking in the glory of his win over boxing legend Mike Tyson, but some outraged fans are claiming the fight was “staged”. The 27-year-old YouTuber emerged victorious in the eight-round match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
However, fans of the 58-year-old boxing icon took to social media to express their outrage, with many alleging that the outcome was predetermined. One Reddit user commented: “Jake literally said he wanted to hurt him ‘a little bit’ at the interview at the end. They knew what was going to happen. Money is just too sweet.”
Another user chimed in: “It was like after the contracts were signed Paul and Tyson came together and agreed to do it for the spectacle of it all. They definitely weren’t out for blood. PS. The women’s fight carried the event.” A third user remarked: “Paul carried the fight by looking busy and trying to get Tyson to hit him the whole time then how they were talking about how sincere it was and how they tried is just cringe. Tyson checked out of boxing and they knew that it’s just for the money.”
One more user quipped: “Wasn’t even a fight. It was a drunk uncle messing around with his nephew at a backyard barbecue.” Another user vented: “At this point, I’m more annoyed by the build-up than the fight itself.. it’s like they’re treating us like fools.” There is no suggestion the fight was, in fact, staged. The Daily Star has contacted AT&T for comment.
Viewers watching on Netflix also criticised the streaming service for “constantly crashing and buffering” during the live stream. One user humorously commented: “If you think our stream quality is bad, wait until you see the actual fight! – Netflix.”
Another user complained: “I was using Netflix and as soon as the fight started Netflix stopped working. It never started working again.” A statement from Netflix on X (formerly Twitter), the company said: “60 million households around the world tuned in live to watch Paul vs. Tyson! The boxing mega-event dominated social media, shattered records, and even had our buffering systems on the ropes.”
Reports suggest that Paul pocketed $40 million from the fight while Tyson bagged $10 million. In response to his critics, Paul stated: “People just love to hate me. I intentionally say things for people to hate. That’s what I like to do. If people want to see more… give me a couple of months.” Regarding the crowd, he added: “I tried to give the fight the best fight I possibly could. When someone’s just surviving in the ring, it’s hard to make it exciting.”
He shrugged off criticism saying: “I don’t care what people have to say. It is what it is.” When asked about a potential fight with Gervonta Davis, he responded: “I’d be down… let’s run it”. Paul also took a quick jab at UFC star Conor McGregor, stating that a fight between them ‘will never happen.’
(Image: Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)
Taking to Twitter, the Tyson wrote: “This is one of those situations when you lost but still won. I’m grateful for last night. No regrets to get in ring one last time. “I almost died in June. Had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won.
“To have my children see me stand toe to toe and finish 8 rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy stadium is an experience that no man has the right to ask for. Thank you.”
Tyson was originally set to take on Paul in July but the fight was postponed due to the former going through a health scare on a flight.