Jake Paul Opens Up About Strategy In Points Win Over Tyson

Promoters Speak Out After 'Rigged' Allegations in Paul vs. Tyson Showdown

Jake Paul announced as winner against Mike Tyson in their recent highly publicized bout / Al Bello/Getty Images.

By Robert Kemboi

Earlier this month, controversial YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul defeated former boxing champion Tyson in a heavyweight bout streamed live on Netflix from the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

After the judges’ scorecards were announced scored in favour of 'The Problem Child,' some began to speculate that the fight had been rigged to ensure that Paul won.

Jake Paul’s company Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) has denied that the YouTuber’s fight with Mike Tyson was “rigged” in any way.

The fight was seen by viewers in 65 million households, and many of those observers believe that Paul vs Tyson was staged in some way. That is despite the bout being an officially-sanctioned pro contest.

Now MVP, Paul’s boxing promotion, has released a statement calling those claims “incorrect and baseless”, and saying their “wide circulation” has “undermine[d] the integrity” of the event.

Paul’s company Most Valuable Promotions wrote a statement on social media saying, "Following the wide circulation of incorrect and baseless claims that undermine the integrity of the Paul vs. Tyson event, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) would like to set the record straight regarding the contractual agreements and the nature of the fight.

"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 (TDLR).

"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."

The statement continued: "Trash talk and speculation are common in sports, and athletes and promoters need to tolerate nonsensical commentary, jokes and opinions. But 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.

"It is further illogical and inane that MVP, in the debut of a hopeful long-term partnership with the world’s biggest streamer—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."

"Jake has not only proven himself repeatedly, but he has continuously set historic records that speak for themselves.”

“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.”