Michael Irvin has questioned the outcome of the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight – claiming it was ‘rigged’ as it looked like Tyson was restricted from using his uppercut.
The 27-year-old YouTuber beat the 58-year-old boxing legend last week in a unanimous decision, with Tyson managing only 18 punches throughout the eight rounds. The judges’ scores of 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73 in favor of Paul left many fans underwhelmed by Tyson’s showing.
Paul later claimed that he had held back against Tyson, saying he “didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt”. The former influencer even paused to bow to Tyson before the final bell rang, in a gesture of respect towards the iconic fighter.
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However, Dallas Cowboys icon Irvin has suggested it was Tyson who was holding back due to a possible clause in the fight agreement. Speaking on The Herd podcast with Colin Cowherd, the 58-year-old said: “I was looking for that patent ‘one in the body, one on the uppercut’.
“When he hits that it’s boom boom, boom. I want to see that. But we didn’t get that, not a one. And I saw someone else say that it was in the contract – ‘no uppercuts’. They had it in the contract. Come on guys, why wouldn’t Mike Tyson throw an uppercut?”
The former Cowboys star, who nabbed three Super Bowls during his 12-year NFL stint, likened Tyson’s boxing comeback to what it would be if he returned to the gridiron, saying: “If Mike Irvin had good knees and could still play football but didn’t run a set route, something’s fixed.”
The fight drew in millions of viewers (
Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)
Podcast host Cowherd said: “It was the killer shot and he didn’t throw one. Jake Paul by about the fifth round had a chance [to knock Tyson out] and I wonder if, after what you said, did Jake Paul say, ‘Listen, I signed a contract. He can’t throw an uppercut, so I’m not gonna humiliate him’.”
Despite anticipation for Tyson to reign supreme in the bout, the encounter concluded with Paul declared winner yet again.
