Damning footage has emerged and gone viral on social media of Mike Tyson appearing to hold back his punches during his controversial fight against Jake Paul.
In the short snippet posted to X, Tyson, 58, threw a feint with his left hand before starting to follow through with his right hand as Paul, 27, was exposed, but he seemingly stopped himself.
Unsurprisingly, this has led to many fans online asking whether the fight was rigged, and whether or not there was a mutual agreement between the pair not to land any serious and heavy punches. Iron Mike’s opponent was left wide open and there for the taking, so why on earth didn’t the boxing legend go through with his shot?
The eight-round fight saw the former YouTuber Paul take the victory via unanimous decision, but many fans had pleaded for the fight to never happen in the first place.
READ: Floyd Mayweather, Canelo, Gervonta Davis, and Other Pro Boxers’ Fans Outraged by Bold Jake Paul Comparison
Pros and fans alike didn’t want the bout taking place
Tony Bellew, the former WBC cruiserweight champion, tweeted during the fight: “We are all to blame for this man! We are all talking and watching! We have to stop this fool! Don’t tune into him until he fights someone who is fit, healthy and not a grandfather! Any proper boxing people helping Paul need to look at themselves ffs. This is just sad.”
In the lead-up to the fight, many speculated around the legitimacy of the event due to Tyson’s age and his condition, with conspiracies circulating across social media about the potential outcome.
Former world champion Carl Froch told GB News the night before the fight that he believes it is a scripted fight and that there was something in the contract to stop Tyson from trying to hurt Paul.
During the fight, it was soon clear that Tyson was a shell of his former self, with unstable legs and the constant glove biting – some fans expressed feeling sad to see the former world champion struggling.
However, this clip has fired up conspiracists yet again with some suggesting that the fight was fixed for the Problem Child to win. Even Sara Bailey, women’s WBA world light flyweight champion, who supported Lucas Bahdi on the undercard, told ES NEWS she believed it was fixed.
| Mike Tyson & Jake Paul’s pro records (as of 20/11/24) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mike Tyson | Jake Paul | |
| Fights | 59 | 12 |
| Wins | 50 | 11 |
| Losses | 7 | 1 |
| No Contests | 2 | 0 |
