Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions has released a statement following claims of the YouTuber’s fight vs. Mike Tyson being rigged.
The fight, which aired on Netflix on November 15, has been treated to worldwide criticism, with many suggesting it was rigged. Assertions of specific contract stipulations preventing the fighters from performing certain actions in the ring have also been voiced.
Paul’s company has responded to the claims with a strong rebuttal.
“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),” they stated.
“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.”
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Both Jake Paul and Mike Tyson Have Been Suspended
The above comes in the wake of both fighters being suspended by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.
While initial news of the ban seemed to confirm everyone’s suspicions, it has nothing to do with rumors of the fight being fixed.
The TLDR requires fighters to rest for three days for each round fought, which bars them from even sparring. Given that they went eight rounds, Paul and Tyson have been suspended from all boxing activity for a period of 24 days.
MVP added the following as part of its statement.
“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.”
The boxers were paid a collective $60 million for the highly-anticipated contest, with Paul making $40 million and Tyson raking in $20 million despite the snoozefest.
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