MVP pushes back on accusations that Paul vs. Tyson was rigged

Promoter calls claims about heavyweight fight 'illogical' and 'inane'

A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.

Nearly two weeks have passed since Jake Paul won a lopsided eight-round decision over iconic former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, but the suspicion from many that the fight was scripted and not authentic as advertised has not waned.

It led to Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, which put on the event on Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as the headliner of the first-ever live sports event on Netflix, to forcefully push back on the unending accusations.

In a statement released by MVP on Monday it addressed what it called “the wide circulation of incorrect and baseless claims that undermine the integrity” of the fight and that the company “would like to set the record straight regarding the contractual agreements and the nature of the fight.”

MVP pointed out that “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. 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.”

---

I am in my 25th year of full-time boxing coverage. Take advantage of that experience by upgrading to a paid subscription for full access to all posts and comments — and also support independent journalism.

---

Social media has been awash with accusations that the fight was scripted and that Tyson was contractually not allowed to throw uppercuts. Some have pointed to video clips from the bout suggesting that the onetime knockout artist was pulling his punches against Paul.

However, Tyson, who is 58, was engaging in his first official bout in nearly 20 years and while he looked in excellent shape for his age, he was facing the 27-year-old Paul, who is in his physical prime and has been boxing regularly.

Paul won easily, 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73, losing the first round on two scorecards and cruising to the win in a bout used two notable rules changes. They boxed two-minute rounds instead of the standard three to accommodate for Tyson’s age and they wore 14-ounce gloves instead of 10 ounces to lessen the impact of the punches.

Perhaps fueling the talk of a scripted fight was that Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) admitted afterward that when he had Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs) under control, he stopped pushing for a knockout in the third round once it was clear Tyson had very little to offer.

“Yeah, definitely. Definitely a bit,” Paul said about easing up on his KO efforts. “I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn't want to hurt someone that didn't need to be hurt.”

Still, that did not mean Paul was not trying to win, the MVP statement said.

“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,” MVP said in the statement. “It is further illogical and inane that MVP, in the debut of a hopeful long-term partnership with the world’s biggest streamer (Netflix) — 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.”

MVP Nakisa Bidarian, who co-founded the company with Paul, added his view of the situation.

“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 said. “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.”

Paul (11-1, 7 KOs), a former Disney actor and popular YouTube and social media influencer, picked up boxing a few years ago and turned pro in 2020 and has drawn big crowds and viewership for his fights, most of which have been on pay-per-view.

“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,” Bidarian said. “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.” 

Regardless of any controversy about how the fight went the event was a monster. Netflix, which boasts 283 million subscribers globally, reported that the Paul-Tyson main event was watched by 60 million households globally and peaked at 65 million concurrent streams. Further, Netflix said it had 108 million global viewers.

Also, Netflix reported that the co-feature, undisputed women’s junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor’s controversial decision in a rematch against unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano in a bloody slugfest, was seen in nearly 50 million households globally.

MVP announced that the gate was more than $18.1 million, a record for any event in Texas history and more than double the biggest boxing gate, which was about $9 million for Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders, also at AT&T Stadium, in May 2021. Paul-Tyson had the larges gate for any boxing event in U.S. history outside of Las Vegas.

The fight drew a crowd of 72,300 to the home of the Dallas Cowboys, making it the second-largest U.S. indoor attendance for a boxing match, just shy of the record of 73,126 set by Alvarez-Saunders.

---

A note to subscribers

I sincerely appreciate your readership. If you’re reading, it means you love boxing just like I do. If you’ve been reading you also know the quality and quantity of what I produce. It’s one-stop shopping. Read the newsletters and there is no need to search multiple websites or click a multitude of links to get the latest news, opinion and detailed fight schedule. Everything you need is in one spot and delivered directly to your inbox (or via phone alert if you download for free the superb Substack app). You don’t have to hunt for the news; it comes to you.

I believe that is worth something, so while I will continue providing stories, notes and the schedule for free, I encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription for the most content. A paid subscription is your way of keeping this reader-supported newsletter going and supporting independent journalism. I am beholden to no network, promoter, manager, sanctioning body or fighter. If you have read my work at all during the past 24 years I’ve covered professional boxing you know that I keep it real and that will not change.

To upgrade your subscription please go here:

Thank you so much for your support of Fight Freaks Unite!

---

Photos: Getty Images for Netflix

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danrafael1/

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRafael1

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanRafaelBoxing