Jake Paul and Most Valuable Promotions have denied rigging the Mike Tyson fight following several claims about the controversial event.
Reports claiming that Paul vs Tyson had a preordained outcome have continually dogged the headliner since Netflix broadcasted the show to over 100 million viewers on November 15. The allegations are so rife that MVP and Paul were forced to release a statement to World Boxing News over the matter.
They told WBN, “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.
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“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 MVP defense comes after Jake Paul admitted holding meetings with Tyson about the fight alongside his wife, Kiki. In an occurrence that spawned the event four years ago, what was discussed between them has not been made public or confirmed to have been recorded.
Paul and MVP have assured detractors that anything perceived as pre-agreed between the pair is untrue.
“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,” they concluded.
Tyson has walked away with $20 million and only a slight dent on his professional record. Meanwhile, Paul has been left to pick up the pieces as he attempts to keep doubts over his boxing career at bay long enough to secure another event with Netflix.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is currently touted as a possible next opponent for a WBA title.
