NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has admitted that he felt “robbed” after watching the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson – as he questioned the legitimacy of the bout due to the age gap between the pair.
The contest at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 15 proved a major hit with viewers, with more than 108 million people tuning in to take in the spectacle on Netflix. The match now stands as the tenth most-watched sporting event of all-time in the U.S. – second to only the historic fight between Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks in the boxing stakes.
However, the battle proved a controversial affair – not least due to 30 years separating the two competitors. Coming into the fight, former world heavyweight champions Tyson, 58, had not fought in nearly two decades, while Paul, 27, had fought professionally on only 11 occasions.
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Among the event’s detractors was former four-time NBA champion O’Neal, who was left dissatisfied with the quality of the fight as “Problem Child” prevailed via a unanimous decision. He said: “I felt like I got robbed. Great people like us, we’re remembered for what we do, and what we did.
“So the fact that Mike [Tyson] was putting out the 15-second clips…I love Mike, but he’s 58,” he continued. “I could put out a 10-second Instagram clip, cut it, and I can make myself look like Victor Wembanyama…but that doesn’t mean I can get out there with the young boys.
“If Jake Paul really beats a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, is that something to be happy about? That’s like me right now, or when I was playing, playing against a 70-year-old Wilt Chamberlain and bragging ‘I’m the most dominant!’, but I wouldn’t’ve felt good about that. When [Evander Holyfield] fought Vitor Belfort, I didn’t feel good about that…I just didn’t like it.”
The quality of the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson proved divisive among some viewers (
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Giving his reaction after observers accused him of holding back against “Iron Mike” during the later rounds of their contest, Paul admitted: “Yeah, definitely. Definitely a bit. I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.”
The viral sensation also confirmed that none of the veteran superstar’s punches had made an impact in the later stages of the fight, before acknowledging: “I tried to give the best fight I possibly could, but when someone’s just surviving in the ring basically, it’s hard to make it exciting. I couldn’t really get him to engage me.”
Meanwhile, Tyson defended his performance in the bout as he spoke with pride following what many critics deemed to be a drab fight. He added: “I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself. I’m not one of those guys that looks to please the world. I’m just happy with what I can do.”