Former NFL Star Claims Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Fight Was Rigged
11/21/2024 09:53 AM
Was last Friday's fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson rigged? One of the most iconic wide receivers in NFL history certainly thinks so.
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin is convinced that Paul's fight with Tyson was all for show. During an appearance on the "It Is What It Is" podcast, the Hall of Famer claimed that Tyson signed a contract that stated he can't throw an uppercut against the former YouTube star.
"That fight was a lie," Irvin said, via the New York Post. "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.
"Then I heard some people talking about they couldn't put that in the contract. He couldn't body and then uppercut. Like, how can you put that in a fight contract? You got all these people out here, and he couldn't body him and do that patented uppercut. Mike Tyson is not Mike Tyson anyway, and now you're taking away Mike Tyson's best gift, which was that uppercut. Man, that's a big lie to me. That's like making me play a game without running a slant route in the deep end or the deep out. You do what you do best. If they take that away, you ain't that dude anymore, and they took that away."
Irvin then said that he wanted to see Tyson deliver an uppercut to Paul. Obviously, that didn't happen.
When asked where he heard this information, Irvin said he was doing research on the fight. We're not entirely sure what that means.
All we know for certain is that Paul won via unanimous decision. Tyson threw just 97 punches compared to 278 from his opponent.
Despite how lackluster that fight was at AT&T Stadium, Tyson reportedly earned $20 million. For that reason alone, Irvin is happy that "Iron Mike" stepped back in the ring.
Related: Blonde Ring Girl For Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Fight Had Fans Buzzing
