Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions partnered with Netflix to stream the fight
The main event might be over, but the Jake Paul–Mike Tyson boxing match is still in the spotlight. Jake Paul’s company Most Valuable Promotions has released a statement about the match’s veracity, following a slate of claims that the fight was rigged.
In the statement, MVP called the claims “incorrect and baseless” and they intended to “set the record straight regarding the contractual agreements and the nature of the fight.” The company went on to explain that “Paul vs. Tyson was a professional match sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR),” and that rigging a professional fight was illegal in the U.S. “Each boxer was able to use his full arsenal to win the fight. Any agreement to the contrary would violate TDLR boxing rules,” the statement continued. They ended the statement with, “Suggesting anything other than full effort from these fighters is not only naive but an insult to the work they put into their craft and to the sport itself.”
On Nov. 15, Paul defeated Tyson in an unanimous decision after eight two-minute rounds. The fight was widely watched and discussed online since it was Tyson’s first match in four years; Tyson is a record-breaking former heavyweight champion regarded for his ferocious fighting abilities. The age difference between Paul, 27, and Tyson, 58, was also a point of discussion.
The baseless claims that MVP is referring to includes insinuation from podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. In one of his latest podcast episodes, Rogan said, “I’m happy that Mike got the money, and I’m happy that he didn’t get hurt,” adding, “That was my fear, that it was going to be a real fight and he was going to get hurt.”
Several TikTok accounts have uploaded a plethora of videos dissecting the fight to prove it was fake. The online fervor about a fake fight began after a user with just 200 followers posted an alleged fake script on X, formerly Twitter, for the match hours before it was set to begin. The document included details about how the fight would unfold. X added a Community Note calling the post unverified and likening it to a fake script that made its rounds on social media as Paul was set to fight Tyson Fury in 2023.
Paul also responded to the claims on Impaulsive, his brother Logan Paul’s podcast, saying “They just want me to lose, that’s the only way they would have thought it was entertaining.”