Jake Paul's business parnter responds to 'dumb' claims Mike Tyson clash was a 'rigged fight'
11/21/2024 05:05 AM
Jake Paul's manager has hit back at claims his latest fight was 'rigged'.
'The Problem Child' recently returned to the ring for a controversial clash with 58-year-old boxing legend Mike Tyson, who was defeated by unanimous decision at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday night.
As is often the case when the YouTuber-turned-boxer fights, several unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about him 'rigging' the fight have been floating around on social media.
Now Jake Paul's manager and business partner has addressed the rumors.
Nakisa Bidarian shuts down 'rigged' rumors
Nakisa Bidarian is Paul's advisor and the co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, which put on the card that attracted over 60million viewers to Netflix.
Since the fight, he's been paying attention to all the conspiracy theories about his client, but he only felt compelled to publicly address them after an NFL legend joined in.
“The only thing that bothers me is the continued narrative and people saying, 'The fight was rigged'," Bidarian said during an interview with Ariel Helwani.
"I saw something from Michael Irvin, he was on the broadcast and actually sat there with Jerry Jones. I saw something this week where he's like, 'Oh, yeah, I saw the contract and Mike couldn't throw an uppercut'.
"I'm concerned there's a CTE problem there for Michael Irvin because how would you see the contract to begin with that Mike Tyson couldn't throw an uppercut? It's beyond lunacy and the realm of reality of life.
"This was a regulated professional bout by the Texas Athletic Commission, and we were partners with Netflix – the biggest media company in the world – who is a public company.
"For anyone to suggest this was in any way a rigged fight, they are either dumb or looking for attention. I get it. Putting up posts, 'Proof it was rigged' and that gets you good engagement. A lot of people comment, a lot of people like and a lot of people share.
"We are in an attention economy; people say a lot of outlandish things to bring attention to themselves. But it's a sad state of society that that's where people want to spend their time."
What's next for Jake Paul?
Paul has received a ton of flack for booking fights with older, undersized, and inexperienced opponents – but he insists that he will take on a pound-for-pound superstar next time out.
Undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and IBF heavyweight title holder Daniel Dubois have called out the 27-year-old. However, the man he really wants to face is Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
"Generally, everyone's biggest critique is 'Fight a pro! Fight someone your age!'," Paul said on his podcast. "So, when I said Canelo is the person, then everyone hates on that…wouldn't the best opportunity to see me lose be going up against Canelo?
"People won't be satisfied with my career until I get f***ing flatlined…one of the best to ever do it, a legend, pound-for-pound great… yeah, it's gonna be an insane fight. It's gonna be hard as f***. I might get my a** beat and flatlined. But let's f***ing find out!"
